Powder blue is a pale shade of blue.[1]
As with most colours, there is no absolute definition of its exact hue. Originally, powder blue, in the 1650s, was powdered smalt (cobalt glass) used in laundering and dyeing applications, and it then came to be used as a colour name from 1894.[2][3]
Smalt has a deep, dark blue hue, but powder blue nowadays is a pale cobalt blue as illustrated by the examples below, which show powder blue as defined by British and Australian Standards for paint colours along with an example of one manufacturer's actual Powder Blue paint, and a consensus definition produced by an online colour names survey in which 140,000 people took part. The sources differ on how pale or saturated a colour it is, but broadly agree on the hue.
Shades of powder blue
Australian Standard[4]
British Standard[5]
Dulux Trade Paint[6]
Online survey[7]
#BECFDD
#9EB9D4
#B2CDEB
#B1D1FC
Powder blue was also used as a colour name in English in 1774, but the exact colour is unclear: it may be a blue-grey or a dark unsaturated blue.[8]
^Concise Oxford Dictionary entry.
^Oxford English Dictionary, s.v.
^Etymology Online
^Australian Standard AS 2700 colour B32 (Powder Blue)
^Powder Blue BS4800 20D41 Paint colour
^Dulux Trade Colour Powder Blue
^Xkcd Color Survey Results
^Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 202. See colour sample of powder blue, Page 95--Plate 36 Color Sample H2 and Plate 43 Color Sample D11
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PowderBlue may refer to: Powderblue, a shade of bluePowderBlue (film), written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui "PowderBlue", by Ween from 12 Golden...
the chest—it was "Nuggets" in powderblue, with royal blue and gold trim on the home white jersey, while the powderblue road jerseys had "Denver" in white...
team name in a unique blue/white/blue split-letter style, with the team logo centred below. The road uniforms were powderblue, with the city name in...
The uniforms were briefly paired with a powderblue cap with blue brim in 2010. Unlike the previous powderblue uniform, this set is paired with the home...
Acanthurus leucosternon, commonly known as the blue surgeonfish, powderblue tang or powder-blue surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging...
with gold outlining and powderblue interior trim. The pants also have a redesigned lightning bolt in gold, with powderblue trim on a navy stripe. Additionally...
vocals for Elvis Presley, appear on the tracks "I'm Holding You" and "PowderBlue". The melody of "Japanese Cowboy" closely resembles that of "Chariots...
run in Sacramento, even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powderblue, and the script '"Kansas City"' which adorned...
(2006), My Best Friend's Girl (2008), The Last House on the Left and in PowderBlue (2009), Much Ado About Nothing (2012), Fun Size (2012), The Lego Batman...
third jersey, ridding red from the alternate jersey, replacing it with powderblue. The Panthers missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive time in the...
evergreen mound and most useful groundcover with powderblue flowers 'Skylark', a tall type with blue flowers (this cultivar has gained the Royal Horticultural...
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of...
there were four singles released from the album: "Red" (23 April 2001) "PowderBlue" (9 July 2001) "Newborn" (8 October 2001) "Asleep in the Back"/"Coming...
road uniform was navy blue, with a "Utah" script in powderblue on the center chest and powderblue numbers, both of which had silver outlining and white...
showy bright blue flowers grow in plentiful panicles, or bunches, of tiny five-lobed blossoms. Some varieties and cultivars have light, powder purple blooms...
(formerly San Diego) Chargers would frequently wear their popular alternate powderblue jerseys (that was introduced in 2007) at home against the Oakland Raiders...
to the Johnson Space Center. Kansas City Royals, with a navy base and powderblue accents, and a stylized "KC" insignia in homage to Kansas City's "City...
Throughout their history, the Nordiques were famous for their iconic powderblue and white uniforms. But for their first WHA season, the Nordiques' uniforms...
the film Christmas in Wonderland. Swayze played an aging rock star in PowderBlue (2009), co-starring his younger brother Don in their first film together...
appeared in films such as The Good Shepherd (2006), Savage Grace (2007), PowderBlue (2008), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Glorious 39 (2009), and Hick (2011)...
such as FD&C Blue No. 1 or acid blue 9. It is denoted by E number E133 and has a color index of 42090. It has the appearance of a bluepowder and is soluble...
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