Middelblauwe

Middelblauwe is a Dutch descriptive color term meaning medium blue. It designates a blue shade of intermediate lightness and saturation, positioned between light blues and darker blues. Because it is a relative description rather than a fixed color name, the exact hue of middelblauwe can vary with context, material, and lighting.

Historically, the term appears in Dutch texts describing textiles, painting, and decorative arts, where colors were described qualitatively. In those descriptions, middelblauwe would indicate a blue that is neither pale nor very deep, suitable for fabrics or surfaces that require a mid-tone blue. In contemporary usage, middelblauwe remains a common label in fashion, interior design, and merchandising to convey a mid-tone blue without committing to a specific shade.

Relation to other terms: middelblauwe is typically contrasted with lichtblauwe (light blue) and donkerblauwe (dark blue). It roughly corresponds to English "medium blue" or "mid blue," but it does not map to a single standardized color specification. The perceived shade can differ depending on color models (such as RGB or CMYK) and the production process (printing, dyeing, or pigment mixing).

In practice, middelblauwe serves as a practical descriptive category in Dutch, useful for communicating about color in everyday design, labeling, and descriptions of objects where a precise code is either unavailable or unnecessary.

See also: blue, Dutch color names, color terminology.