diff --git a/DirectXTex/DirectXTex.h b/DirectXTex/DirectXTex.h
index 80bf95b..58a3bdf 100644
--- a/DirectXTex/DirectXTex.h
+++ b/DirectXTex/DirectXTex.h
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ namespace DirectX
 
     size_t BitsPerPixel( _In_ DXGI_FORMAT fmt );
 
+    size_t BitsPerColor( _In_ DXGI_FORMAT fmt );
+
     enum CP_FLAGS
     {
         CP_FLAGS_NONE               = 0x0,      // Normal operation
diff --git a/DirectXTex/DirectXTexUtil.cpp b/DirectXTex/DirectXTexUtil.cpp
index 46d002f..9e4a55c 100644
--- a/DirectXTex/DirectXTexUtil.cpp
+++ b/DirectXTex/DirectXTexUtil.cpp
@@ -448,6 +448,149 @@ size_t BitsPerPixel( DXGI_FORMAT fmt )
 }
 
 
+//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Returns bits-per-color (i.e. bit-depth) for a given DXGI format, or 0 on failure
+// For mixed formats, it returns the largest bit-depth in the format
+//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+_Use_decl_annotations_
+size_t BitsPerColor( DXGI_FORMAT fmt )
+{
+    switch( fmt )
+    {
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32G8X24_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_D32_FLOAT_S8X24_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32_FLOAT_X8X24_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_X32_TYPELESS_G8X24_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_D32_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R32_SINT:
+        return 32;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R24G8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_D24_UNORM_S8_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R24_UNORM_X8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_X24_TYPELESS_G8_UINT:
+        return 24;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_FLOAT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_D16_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R16_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC6H_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC6H_UF16:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC6H_SF16:
+        return 16;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R9G9B9E5_SHAREDEXP:
+        return 14;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R11G11B10_FLOAT:
+        return 11;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R10G10B10A2_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R10G10B10A2_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R10G10B10A2_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R10G10B10_XR_BIAS_A2_UNORM:
+        return 10;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM_SRGB:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8_UINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8_SINT:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_A8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8_B8G8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_G8R8_G8B8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC4_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC4_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC4_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC5_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC5_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC5_SNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8X8_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_UNORM_SRGB:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8X8_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8X8_UNORM_SRGB:
+        return 8;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC7_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC7_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC7_UNORM_SRGB:
+        return 7;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC1_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC1_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC1_UNORM_SRGB:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC2_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC2_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC2_UNORM_SRGB:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC3_TYPELESS:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC3_UNORM:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_BC3_UNORM_SRGB:
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B5G6R5_UNORM:
+        return 6;
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B5G5R5A1_UNORM:
+        return 5;
+
+#ifdef DXGI_1_2_FORMATS
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_B4G4R4A4_UNORM:
+        return 4;
+
+    // We don't support the video formats ( see IsVideo function )
+#endif // DXGI_1_2_FORMATS
+
+    case DXGI_FORMAT_R1_UNORM:
+        return 1;
+
+    default:
+        return 0;
+    }
+}
+
+
 //-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Computes the image row pitch in bytes, and the slice ptich (size in bytes of the image)
 // based on DXGI format, width, and height