DMC Mouliné Spécial

996 — Electric Blue medium

Blues family

Below: DMC 996 (Electric Blue medium), a medium, highly saturated blue shade with hex #0097E1 and RGB 0, 151, 225. Find its closest Gentle Art Sampler, Valdani, and Crescent Colours matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar DMC shades and a full set of color harmony picks.

Hex
#0097E1
RGB
0, 151, 225
HSL
200°, 100%, 44%
Lab
59.5, -6.5, -46.7
Lightness
44%
Medium
Saturation
100%
Vivid
Hue
200°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for DMC 996

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works

DMC 996 Electric Blue medium

Sullivans

Electric Blue Medium 45315 77% Approx
Blue Light 45215 63% Fair
Bright Turquoise Dark 45442 61% Fair
Bright Turquoise Medium 45443 57% Fair
Wedgewood Light 45115 53% Fair

Crescent Colours

Really Teally 104 41% Fair
Tyler Boy Blue 111 38% Fair
Caribbean Waters 050 37% Fair
Cool Azul 079 25% Fair
Blueberry Tart 033 3% Fair

Similar DMC Colors to 996

Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

DMC 996 Electric Blue medium
Delft Blue DMC 809 Noticeable ΔE 6.26 Baby Blue DMC 3755 Noticeable ΔE 7.28 Peacock Blue dark DMC 807 Noticeable ΔE 7.54 Electric Blue DMC 3843 Noticeable ΔE 7.74 Bright Turquoise dark DMC 3844 Noticeable ΔE 9.34 Wedgewood light DMC 518 Noticeable ΔE 10.54 Bright Turquoise medium DMC 3845 Noticeable ΔE 10.73 Antique Blue light DMC 932 Noticeable ΔE 12.18

Working with DMC 996

On white fabric
3.2:1
On dark fabric
6.5:1
Temperature
cool
Closest to
blue

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.

Bold accents & focal points

With its high saturation, DMC 996 (Electric Blue medium) draws the eye — a natural pick for focal motifs, small pops of color, and details you want to read first.

Color Harmonies for DMC 996

DMC threads that pair well with 996, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
996
833 Golden Olive light
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
996
794 Cornflower Blue light 3845 Bright Turquoise medium
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
996
760 Salmon 703 Chartreuse
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
996
3765 Very Dark Peacock Blue 3760 Wedgewood (806) 3325 Baby Blue light

Blues Family

DMC 996 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

996 Electric Blue medium 996 334 Baby Blue medium 334 3838 Lavender Blue dark 3838 3746 Blue Violet dark 3746 793 Cornflower Blue medium 793 518 Wedgewood light 518 798 Delft Blue dark 798 322 Baby Blue dark 322 32 Dark Blueberry 32 3807 Cornflower Blue 3807 931 Antique Blue medium 931

About DMC 996

Known as Electric Blue medium, DMC 996 is a medium, highly saturated shade sitting in the blues family with sky blue tones. The vibrant and steady mood of this color makes it a natural fit for sapphire accents and porcelain patterns. Expect to see it used in hydrangea blooms and skies across many cross-stitch charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

DMC 996 — what color is it?

The color of DMC 996 is Electric Blue medium — a medium blue thread (hex #0097E1, RGB 0, 151, 225). It shows up most in nautical themes and winter scenes.

What is the Anchor equivalent of DMC 996?

The closest Anchor match for DMC 996 (Electric Blue medium) is Anchor 1039 (Baby Blue Medium Dark) with a 57% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 433 (Electric Blue Medium, 49%) and Anchor 161 (Baby Blue Dark, 42%).

Which DMC threads are close to 996?

The closest DMC threads to 996 are 809 Delft Blue (ΔE 6.26), 3755 Baby Blue (ΔE 7.28), and 807 Peacock Blue dark (ΔE 7.54). These are useful substitutes when 996 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is DMC 996 good for?

DMC 996 (Electric Blue medium) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring nautical themes, winter scenes, forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs. Its medium tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 996.

What fabric color works best with DMC 996 (Electric Blue medium)?

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first. For reference, 996 has a contrast ratio of about 3.2:1 on white fabric and 6.5:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

DMC Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion