CP
DUNN-EDWARDS · DEFD50

Dunn-Edwards Emboldened Blue#334377 · LRV 7

Emboldened Blue reads as a blue / cool — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

DUNN-EDWARDS EMBOLDENED BLUE
RGB 51, 67, 119 LRV 7

Color spec

Brand Dunn-Edwards
Name Emboldened Blue
SKU DEFD50
Hex #334377
RGB 51, 67, 119
HSL 226°, 40%, 33%
LRV 7
Undertone blue / cool
Family Blue

About Dunn-Edwards Emboldened Blue

At LRV 7, Emboldened Blue is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Its blue undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.

Emboldened Blue earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.

Closest matches at every US brand

13 brands · top 5 each

5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all blue from that brand.

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.98
All blue at Behr →
640F-7 · #364276 · ΔE 0.98 · LRV 6
S560-7 · #384674 · ΔE 1.57 · LRV 6
M530-7 · #2D437D · ΔE 1.68 · LRV 6
620F-7 · #36456F · ΔE 2.08 · LRV 6
650F-7 · #3B3F72 · ΔE 3.18 · LRV 6

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.13
All blue at Benjamin Moore →
2067-20 · #334076 · ΔE 1.13 · LRV 8
CC-968 · #3F457D · ΔE 2.71 · LRV 8
CC-966 · #40466D · ΔE 4.36 · LRV 8
2068-20 · #413D6D · ΔE 5.65 · LRV 7
2064-20 · #184A7C · ΔE 6.57 · LRV 8

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.42
All blue at Valspar →
4010-9 · #323F76 · ΔE 1.42 · LRV 5.6
V074-6 · #2B406F · ΔE 1.95 · LRV 5.3
8001-47G · #3D4281 · ΔE 3.11 · LRV 6
M240 · #25416D · ΔE 3.36 · LRV 5.2
4010-8 · #2A436A · ΔE 3.49 · LRV 5.5

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.57
All blue at Kompozit →
0606 · #354079 · ΔE 1.57 · LRV 6
0599 · #2A4983 · ΔE 3.74 · LRV 7
0613 · #324A8B · ΔE 3.82 · LRV 7
1271 · #3F3F75 · ΔE 4 · LRV 6
1257 · #4D416B · ΔE 8.74 · LRV 6

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.1
All blue at PPG / Glidden →
PPG1166-7 · #384874 · ΔE 2.1 · LRV 7
PPG1162-7 · #324B77 · ΔE 3.42 · LRV 7
PPG17-03 · #324B77 · ΔE 3.42 · LRV 7
PPG1168-7 · #3D496E · ΔE 3.87 · LRV 7
PPG1160-7 · #2A4B6E · ΔE 6.01 · LRV 7

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 3
All blue at Dutch Boy →
141-7DB · #3C4C80 · ΔE 3 · LRV 8
140-7DB · #283E69 · ΔE 3.04 · LRV 5
241-7DB · #3B496D · ΔE 3.83 · LRV 7
240-7DB · #334262 · ΔE 4.53 · LRV 6
242-6DB · #424669 · ΔE 5.69 · LRV 7

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.15
All blue at Diamond Vogel →
0599 · #344B83 · ΔE 3.15 · LRV 7
0606 · #43487E · ΔE 3.46 · LRV 7
0613 · #40508D · ΔE 4.96 · LRV 9
1271 · #4A477A · ΔE 5.45 · LRV 7
0620 · #404B61 · ΔE 8.14 · LRV 7

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.32
All blue at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 6818 · #3E4371 · ΔE 3.32 · LRV 6
SW 6538 · #3B496D · ΔE 3.83 · LRV 7
SW 6531 · #284A70 · ΔE 5.53 · LRV 6
SW 6811 · #164576 · ΔE 5.79 · LRV 6
SW 6524 · #25476A · ΔE 5.9 · LRV 6

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 6.1
All blue at C2 Paint →
C2-774 · #3E4B67 · ΔE 6.1 · LRV 7
C2-775 · #43516E · ΔE 6.75 · LRV 8
C2-773 · #384056 · ΔE 8.42 · LRV 5
C2-741 · #414454 · ΔE 11.52 · LRV 6
C2-743 · #324A59 · ΔE 11.74 · LRV 6

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 7.06
All blue at Magnolia Home →
JG-92 · #42526E · ΔE 7.06 · LRV 8
JG-91 · #385063 · ΔE 10.17 · LRV 7
JG-90 · #435462 · ΔE 12.15 · LRV 8
JG-97 · #40464B · ΔE 15.61 · LRV 6
JG-82 · #2D5662 · ΔE 17.17 · LRV 8

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.89
All blue at Backdrop →
BD-WK · #3F546B · ΔE 8.89 · LRV 8
BD-LC · #3F4458 · ΔE 9.61 · LRV 6
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 22.59 · LRV 6
BD-NE · #3D4D3F · ΔE 28.17 · LRV 7
BD-IT · #5C4435 · ΔE 28.25 · LRV 7

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 13.32
All blue at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 30 · #3F4D57 · ΔE 13.32 · LRV 7
NO. 31 · #45494C · ΔE 16.86 · LRV 7
NO. 254 · #53454F · ΔE 17.09 · LRV 7
NO. 294 · #484348 · ΔE 17.54 · LRV 6
NO. 57 · #454749 · ΔE 17.6 · LRV 6

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 16.27
All blue at Clare →
PNT100-DP-42 · #545E66 · ΔE 16.27 · LRV 11
PNT100-DP-77 · #604B56 · ΔE 18.5 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-55 · #515052 · ΔE 19.01 · LRV 8
PNT100-MD-40 · #41656D · ΔE 20.46 · LRV 12
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 21.14 · LRV 6

Similar Dunn-Edwards colors

closest in the Dunn-Edwards deck

The nearest shades to Emboldened Blue within Dunn-Edwards's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

DEA140 · LRV 6
DEA138 · LRV 6
DEA139 · LRV 7
DET587 · LRV 6
DET574 · LRV 7
DE5895 · LRV 8

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #334377 in HSL space. Pair Emboldened Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#334377 + #776733
TRIADIC
#334377 · #773343 · #437733
ANALOGOUS
#336577 · #334377 · #453377

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
9.5:1 AAA
Sample text on black
2.21:1 fail

WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.

Dunn-Edwards Emboldened Blue Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Emboldened Blue from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Behr Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

The closest Behr equivalent of Emboldened Blue is Academy Purple (640F-7). At ΔE 0.98 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same cool blue undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7). If Behr is your counter, order Academy Purple and you'll get the same color. See the full Academy Purple swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Starry Night Blue (2067-20), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.13). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Emboldened Blue without repainting risk. See the full Starry Night Blue swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Valspar's nearest match is Jazzy Blue (4010-9), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.42). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5.6 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Emboldened Blue without repainting risk. See the full Jazzy Blue swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Kompozit's nearest match is Frozen Blue (0606), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.57). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Emboldened Blue without repainting risk. See the full Frozen Blue swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

At PPG / Glidden, the closest color to Emboldened Blue is Daring Indigo (PPG1166-7) — very close at ΔE 2.1, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 7 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Daring Indigo swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Emboldened Blue is Florida Waters (0599) — very close at ΔE 3.15, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 7 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Florida Waters swatch →

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Emboldened Blue is Valiant Violet (SW 6818) — very close at ΔE 3.32, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7) and carries a cool blue undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Valiant Violet swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Dutch Boy has no exact twin of Emboldened Blue. The nearest is Inky Blue (241-7DB) at ΔE 3.83 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 7 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Inky Blue swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

C2 Paint doesn't make a true equivalent of Emboldened Blue — the nearest deck color, Cordon Bleu (C2-774), is clearly different (ΔE 6.1). For an exact match, any C2 Paint retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 instead. See the full Cordon Bleu swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Magnolia Home doesn't make a true equivalent of Emboldened Blue — the nearest deck color, Silos District (JG-92), is clearly different (ΔE 7.06). For an exact match, any Magnolia Home retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 instead. See the full Silos District swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Emboldened Blue — the nearest deck color, Last Call (BD-LC), is clearly different (ΔE 9.61). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 instead. See the full Last Call swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Farrow & Ball doesn't make a true equivalent of Emboldened Blue — the nearest deck color, Hague Blue (NO. 30), is clearly different (ΔE 13.32). For an exact match, any Farrow & Ball retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 instead. See the full Hague Blue swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Emboldened Blue

Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of Emboldened Blue — the nearest deck color, Blackish (PNT100-DP-54), is clearly different (ΔE 21.14). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEFD50 instead. See the full Blackish swatch →

EXPLORE MORE