Anchor Stranded Cotton

146 — Navy Blue Light

Blues family

Anchor 146 — Navy Blue Light — has hex #425580 and RGB 66, 85, 128. This medium-dark, moderately saturated blue thread sits alongside its closest DMC, Madeira, and J&P Coates matches below, with 8 similar Anchor shades and a panel of color harmonies for palette planning.

Hex
#425580
RGB
66, 85, 128
HSL
222°, 32%, 38%
Lab
36.4, 5.3, -26.5
Lightness
38%
Dark
Saturation
32%
Muted
Hue
222°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 146

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

Anchor 146 Navy Blue Light

Sullivans

Grey Blue 45476 84% Good
Delft Blue Dark 45208 75% Approx
Wedgewood Dark 45114 72% Approx
Cornflower Blue 45404 71% Approx
Very Dark Peacock Blue 45382 69% Approx

Crescent Colours

Blue Beatrice 132 81% Good
Blue Moon 005 59% Fair
Blooming Crocus 032 53% Fair
Granny Annie 083 50% Fair
Deep Blue Sea 065 48% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 146

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

Anchor 146 Navy Blue Light
Delft Medium Dark Anchor 137 Near identical ΔE 1.8 Sky Blue Medium Anchor 131 Very close ΔE 4.25 Royal Blue Medium Anchor 142 Very close ΔE 4.69 Grey Blue Very Dark Anchor 779 Noticeable ΔE 6.51 Electric Blue Dark Anchor 410 Noticeable ΔE 7.23 Blue Dark Anchor 978 Noticeable ΔE 7.27 Antique Blue Medium Dark Anchor 1034 Noticeable ΔE 7.37 Sky Blue Dark Anchor 132 Noticeable ΔE 8.06

Working with Anchor 146

On white fabric
7.4:1
On dark fabric
2.8:1
Temperature
cool
Closest to
indigo

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.

Blending & gradients

Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light) sits a hair from Anchor 137 (Delft Medium Dark) (ΔE 1.8) — 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 146

Anchor threads that pair well with 146, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
146
844 Khaki Green Medium
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
146
119 Blue Violet Dark 162 Baby Blue Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
146
1007 Flesh Very Dark 210 Jade Medium Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
146
147 Navy Blue Medium Light 175 Cornflower Blue Light 128 Sky Blue Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 146 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

146 Navy Blue Light 146 977 Blue Medium 977 131 Sky Blue Medium 131 921 Antique Blue Medium 921 137 Delft Medium Dark 137 1034 Antique Blue Medium Dark 1034 410 Electric Blue Dark 410 978 Blue Dark 978 779 Grey Blue Very Dark 779 142 Royal Blue Medium 142 132 Sky Blue Dark 132

About Anchor 146

Meet Anchor 146, Navy Blue Light — a moderately saturated, medium-dark thread in the blues family with true blue tones. Its tone is rich and grounded, making it a popular choice for skies and water. It pairs nicely in designs that call for denim textures or cool-toned backgrounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 146 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 146 is Navy Blue Light — a medium-dark blue thread (hex #425580, RGB 66, 85, 128). It shows up most in bluebird motifs and whale designs.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 146?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light) is DMC 3807 (Cornflower Blue) with a 84% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 161 (Grey Blue, 84%) and DMC 793 (Cornflower Blue medium, 70%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 146?

The closest Anchor threads to 146 are 137 Delft Medium Dark (ΔE 1.8), 131 Sky Blue Medium (ΔE 4.25), and 142 Royal Blue Medium (ΔE 4.69). These are useful substitutes when 146 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 146 good for?

Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring bluebird motifs, whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns. Its medium-dark tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 146.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light)?

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first. For reference, 146 has a contrast ratio of about 7.4:1 on white fabric and 2.8:1 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