Prussian Blue

A deep, dark blue — the first modern synthetic pigment, discovered in the early 18th century.

At a glance

Hue family: blue
Warmth: cool
Tone depth: very deep
Saturation: Vivid

Find pairings Wear this colour Use in interiors Adjust it Compare it Explore history & meaning

Quick intelligence summary

Feels like: cool, very deep, vivid
Works well with: See the pairings section below for calculated harmony options.
Common uses: See uses & contexts below for interiors, fashion and practical guidance.
Accessibility snapshot: Pairs better with white text (13.4:1) than black (1.6:1).

See this colour in the real world

Colours in photographs vary with lighting, material, camera processing and screen calibration — the named colours below are visual approximations, not exact measurements.

A mound of dark blue Prussian blue pigment powder on a glass dish. — Pigment
Prussian blue, first produced in Berlin around 1706, is widely credited as the first modern synthetic pigment.
The glass dish and pale backdrop occupy more of the frame than the pigment itself, so an automated whole-frame scan would be dominated by grey and white rather than the blue pigment — the palette above was hand-picked from the pigment mound."Pigment Berliner Blau" by Saalebaer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Licence details
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Creator:
Saalebaer
Licence:
CC0 1.0 Universal — dedicated to the public domain, free to use for any purpose.
Reviewed:
2026-07-25
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Colour stories

Why Prussian blue mattered for affordable colour

Before Prussian blue's accidental discovery around 1706, a strong, stable blue meant paying for natural ultramarine's enormous cost — Prussian blue was significantly cheaper to produce and is widely credited as the first modern synthetic pigment, genuinely changing what a working painter (not just a wealthy patron) could afford to use.

In practice: Prussian blue's affordability is a real, documented milestone in the much longer story of colour becoming cheaper and more widely available — a trend that continued through the 19th-century synthetic-dye boom.

See prussian blue Image credit

Used in historical palettes

Prussian Blue appears in the following curated historical/cultural palettes.

Arts and Crafts movement palette

Textiles, wallpaper and interior design

Late 19th century · Britain

These HEX values are a modern digital approximation for comparison — they cannot exactly reproduce a historical physical pigment, dye or dyed cloth, whose appearance also varied by batch, ageing and the light it was viewed in.

Pairings

Subtle, bold, analogous, complementary and neutral options — established design convention, not a guarantee of visual success in every context.

Complementary
Opposite hues (180° apart) for maximum hue contrast.
Analogous
Neighbouring hues on the colour wheel for a low-contrast, harmonious feel.
Analogous
Neighbouring hues on the colour wheel for a low-contrast, harmonious feel.
Triadic
Three hues evenly spaced around the colour wheel for balanced contrast.
Triadic
Three hues evenly spaced around the colour wheel for balanced contrast.
No curated profile yet
Split-complementary
The two hues bracketing the complement, for contrast with less tension.
No curated profile yet
Split-complementary
The two hues bracketing the complement, for contrast with less tension.
No curated profile yet
Tetradic
Four hues at 90° steps around the colour wheel for a rich, varied palette.
No curated profile yet
Tetradic
Four hues at 90° steps around the colour wheel for a rich, varied palette.
Tetradic
Four hues at 90° steps around the colour wheel for a rich, varied palette.
No curated profile yet
Monochromatic
Same hue at different lightness levels, for a cohesive tonal palette.
Monochromatic
Same hue at different lightness levels, for a cohesive tonal palette.
Monochromatic
Same hue at different lightness levels, for a cohesive tonal palette.
Monochromatic
Same hue at different lightness levels, for a cohesive tonal palette.

For an accessible, low-contrast-risk pairing, monochromatic (same-hue) combinations are usually the safest starting point — see the harmonies above.

Uses & contexts

Practical questions Lighting guidance Finish & texture guidance

Continue exploring

Meaning & story

History

Widely credited as the first modern synthetic pigment, first produced in Berlin around 1706.

True of the blue family generally

Inherited from the blue hue family, not specifically documented about this exact shade — see methodology.

Blue is often considered calming and is widely used in corporate branding, particularly in finance and technology, to convey trust and stability.
Blue, and ultramarine in particular, is traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary in Christian art, historically used for her robes in Renaissance and medieval European painting.

Pigment & family history

The history of blue Prussian Blue

Terminology

Hue Undertone Vivid colour Cool colour

Lighter, darker & directional variants

Calculated directional adjustments. Some directions converge on the same result from this starting colour — shown as one merged card with an explanation, not repeated duplicates. Generated shades link to a curated profile only when one is close enough.

Technical details

Technical values

CMYK is an approximate device conversion, not a calibrated print value — see methodology.

Convert this colour to another format →

Common pigment-history reference value for the named colour.

Characteristics

Hue family: blue
Undertone: cool
Tone depth: very deep
Pastel: No
Earth tone: No
Jewel tone: No
Vivid: Yes
Greyness: 0%
Visual weight: 90/100

Accessibility

vs. white text

13.43:1 — AAA

vs. black text

1.56:1 — fails

Confidence: medium · Qualification: identity_only, technically_qualified, curated_profile_eligible, search_index_eligible, comparison_eligible

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