BLUES
Denim Wash
#85A0B6
Denim Wash is #85A0B6 in HEX — rgb(133, 160, 182), hsl(207°, 25%, 62%), cmyk(27%, 12%, 0%, 29%).
Denim Wash pulls into the light end of the blues spectrum — HSL 207°, 25%, 62%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices — for calm, focused environments. Reads best alongside warm white trim, oak or walnut, brass or matte black hardware.
Color Codes
Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
34/100
Medium
Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.
Undertone
Reads as a cool blue with a violet undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.
Color Theory
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split-Complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Rectangle
Compound
Shades & Tints
Shades and tints of Denim Wash run from a pale tint down to a deep shade — same hue and saturation, lightness stepped. Each rung below shows its exact HEX code; tap any to copy it.
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
Interior Use
Best Rooms
bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices
Best Uses
main walls, ceilings, trim, cabinetry
Pairs With
warm white trim, oak or walnut, brass or matte black hardware
Accessibility (WCAG)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
Color Psychology
Focused · Cooling
Denim Wash lowers the temperature of a room — useful in south-facing rooms that overheat visually, and in home offices where you want a clear head. Pair with warm wood and brass to keep it from reading clinical.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
Paint Info
Brand · Product Line
Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior
Recommended Finishes
Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)
Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.
Best Surfaces
Primary walls · Cabinetry · Trim · Soft furniture
Coverage & Dry Time
Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.
Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.
Primer
Standard primer is adequate.
Application Tip
Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.
Paint Calculator
You'll need
4.0 litres
1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.
Code Snippets
color: #85A0B6;background-color: #85A0B6;--color-denim-wash: #85A0B6;colors: { 'denim-wash': '#85A0B6' }bg-[#85A0B6] text-[#85A0B6]$denim-wash: #85A0B6;Similar Colors
Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.
Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #85A0B6?
#85A0B6 is Denim Wash, a soft blue with a cool undertone.
Is #85A0B6 warm or cool?
Denim Wash reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.
What rooms work best with Denim Wash?
Denim Wash works well in bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices. Designers typically use it for main walls, ceilings, trim, cabinetry.
What colors pair well with Denim Wash?
Denim Wash pairs naturally with warm white trim, oak or walnut, brass or matte black hardware. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.
Where can I download Denim Wash?
You can download Denim Wash on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.
What's the hex code for Denim Wash?
The hex code is #85A0B6. In RGB it's 133, 160, 182, and in HSL it's 207°, 25%, 62%.