DMC 804 — Dark Delft Blue

When two DMC colors share the same name — and DMC 804 and DMC 798 are both called "Dark Delft Blue" — it creates a reasonable amount of confusion in pattern databases, conversion charts, and online discussions. Understanding what distinguishes these two colors, and where each sits in the broader Delft family, is practical knowledge for anyone working from historical patterns or building Delft-inspired palettes.

The Naming Overlap: 798 vs 804

DMC 798 (Dark Delft Blue, hex #3878C0) and DMC 804 (Dark Delft Blue, hex #2060A0) are distinct colors despite sharing a name in some sources. DMC 804 is notably darker and more saturated — its lower hex values across all channels put it at a deeper, richer blue than 798. In practice, 804 reads as a deep, fairly saturated Delft blue that sits between 798's medium-dark quality and the deeper navy end of the blue spectrum.

This naming situation is worth knowing if you encounter old patterns or reference sources that list "Dark Delft Blue" without a number — it's worth verifying which specific thread number was intended. The two colors are not interchangeable in designs where Delft blue shading is carefully specified.

Position in the Extended Delft Range

The full extended DMC Delft family — including 798, 804, 805, 809, and 800 — offers more shading steps than most standard five-color shading sequences. DMC 804 occupies a position in the deeper part of this range, providing the heavier blue needed for design elements that require a dark-but-clearly-blue tone: the shadow side of a Dutch windmill silhouette, the deep blue fill of a Delftware ship motif, the darkest areas of a Dutch costume design.

In contexts where a three-value Delft palette is needed, a common arrangement uses 798 for the mid-value primary fill, 804 for the deeper shadow areas, and 800 (Pale Delft Blue) for the lightest highlights. This three-value approach covers the full Delft blue range with manageable palette complexity.

Historical Design Accuracy

Authentic Delftware pottery used cobalt oxide for its blue pigment, applied in a range of concentrations that produced everything from the palest blue washes to deep, rich cobalt areas. DMC 804's depth captures the heavier applications of cobalt pigment — the solid dark blue areas that appear in traditional Delft painting as strong outlines, solid filled shapes, and the darkest zones of shaded motifs.

For stitchers working on reproduction European textile designs — particularly those inspired by Dutch, German, or Flemish traditions where Delft blue was a culturally significant color — 804 provides the correct depth reference for the darker design elements. Band samplers and geometric sampler designs from these traditions often use the full Delft range from dark to light, and 804 as the deep end gives the design the same kind of contrast ratios seen in historical originals.

Contemporary and General Blue Uses

Beyond strictly Delft-inspired work, 804's particular deep-medium blue position makes it useful in any design needing a clean, medium-dark blue without the navy darkness of DMC 336 (Navy Blue) or the purple undertone of DMC 792 (Dark Cornflower Blue). Denim shading at the deeper indigo end, dark blue botanical elements, and water scenes with deep blue sections all find 804 a useful palette member that holds between the clearer, lighter Delft tones and the truly dark blues.