Anchor Stranded Cotton

143 — Royal Blue Dark

Blues family

Below: Anchor 143 (Royal Blue Dark), a dark, vivid blue shade with hex #162C51 and RGB 22, 44, 81. Find its closest Gentle Art Sampler, Valdani, and Crescent Colours matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar Anchor shades and a full set of color harmony picks.

Hex

#162C51

RGB

22, 44, 81

HSL

218°, 57%, 20%

Lab

18.2, 5.4, -25.3

Lightness

20%

Dark

Saturation

57%

Rich

Hue

218°

Family

Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 143

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works

Anchor 143 Royal Blue Dark

Sullivans

Navy Blue Medium 45054 97% Excellent

Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 45494 87% Good

Antique Blue Very Dark 45375 82% Good

Blue Very Dark 45225 80% Good

Navy Blue Light 45055 80% Good

Cosmo

168 75% Approx 218 72% Approx 667A 70% Approx 668 70% Approx 4792 65% Approx

Classic Colorworks

Mermaid's Fin 67% Approx Nighty Nite 64% Fair Pansy Purple 58% Fair Wavy Navy 57% Fair Grasshopper 44% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Deep Sea 2104 81% Good Navy 1306 70% Approx Fathom 2102 60% Fair Pea Coat 2103 55% Fair Americana 1307 52% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Cast Iron Skillet 1060 20% Fair Distressed Denim 0293 14% Fair Storm Clouds 0981 12% Fair Lagoon 0980 10% Fair Midnight 0240 10% Fair

Valdani

Navy Blue medium O592 89% Good Antique Blue very dark 873 68% Approx Cornflower Blue medium O86 67% Approx Blue very dark 871 66% Approx Navy Blue dark 1072 65% Approx

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 61% Fair

Wavy Navy 075 48% Fair

Purple Aster 070 46% Fair

Nighty Nite 160 43% Fair

Tartan Plaid 073 37% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 143

Closest Anchor threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

Anchor 143 Royal Blue Dark

Navy Blue Medium Light Anchor 147 Near identical ΔE 1.94 Delft Very Dark Anchor 139 Very close ΔE 2.97 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark Anchor 1036 Very close ΔE 4.16 Navy Blue Medium Anchor 148 Very close ΔE 4.2 Cornflower Blue Medium Anchor 941 Close ΔE 5.1 Sky Blue Dark Anchor 132 Noticeable ΔE 7.16 Delft Dark Anchor 940 Noticeable ΔE 7.2 Sky Blue Very Dark Anchor 133 Noticeable ΔE 8.03

Working with Anchor 143

On white fabric

13.9:1

On dark fabric

1.5:1

Temperature

cool

Closest to

navy

It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground.

Blending & gradients

Anchor 143 (Royal Blue Dark) sits a hair from Anchor 147 (Navy Blue Medium Light) (ΔE 1.94) — close enough to blend a strand of each for a smooth gradient or to swap one for the other in a pinch.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 143

Anchor threads that pair well with 143, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary

Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast

143

269 Avocado Green Very Dark

Analogous

Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions

143

112 Lavender Very Dark 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark

Triadic

Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced

143

352 Copper Very Dark 862 Fern Green Very Dark

Monochromatic

Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

143

131 Sky Blue Medium 175 Cornflower Blue Light 128 Sky Blue Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 143 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

143 Royal Blue Dark 143 147 Navy Blue Medium Light 147 1035 Antique Blue Very Dark 1035 941 Cornflower Blue Medium 941 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark 1036 922 Antique Blue Dark 922 133 Sky Blue Very Dark 133 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 164 148 Navy Blue Medium 148 150 Navy Blue Dark 150 123 Blue Purple Dark 123

About Anchor 143

Known as Royal Blue Dark, Anchor 143 is a dark, vivid shade sitting in the blues family with sky blue tones. The dramatic and vivid mood of this color makes it a natural fit for sapphire accents and porcelain patterns. Expect to see it used in hydrangea blooms and skies across many cross-stitch charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 143 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 143 is Royal Blue Dark — a dark blue thread (hex #162C51, RGB 22, 44, 81). It shows up most in nautical themes and winter scenes.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 143?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 143 (Royal Blue Dark) is DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium) with a 89% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 336 (Navy Blue, 88%) and DMC 803 (Baby Blue ultra very dark, 83%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 143?

The closest Anchor threads to 143 are 147 Navy Blue Medium Light (ΔE 1.94), 139 Delft Very Dark (ΔE 2.97), and 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark (ΔE 4.16). These are useful substitutes when 143 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 143 good for?

Anchor 143 (Royal Blue Dark) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring nautical themes, winter scenes, forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs. Its dark tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 143.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 143 (Royal Blue Dark)?

It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground. For reference, 143 has a contrast ratio of about 13.9:1 on white fabric and 1.5:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion