Anchor Stranded Cotton

147 — Navy Blue Medium Light

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 147? This dark, moderately saturated blue shade (Navy Blue Medium Light) is hex #203056, RGB 32, 48, 86. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby Anchor shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#203056
RGB
32, 48, 86
HSL
222°, 46%, 23%
Lab
20.4, 6.7, -25.1
Lightness
23%
Dark
Saturation
46%
Muted
Hue
222°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 147

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

Anchor 147 Navy Blue Medium Light

Sullivans

Navy Blue Medium 45054 87% Good
Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 45494 84% Good
Navy Blue Light 45055 83% Good
Blue Very Dark 45225 79% Approx
Antique Blue Very Dark 45375 75% Approx

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 64% Fair
Wavy Navy 075 49% Fair
Purple Aster 070 48% Fair
Tartan Plaid 073 43% Fair
Nighty Nite 160 42% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 147

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

Anchor 147 Navy Blue Medium Light
Delft Very Dark Anchor 139 Near identical ΔE 1.14 Royal Blue Dark Anchor 143 Near identical ΔE 1.94 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark Anchor 1036 Very close ΔE 4.01 Cornflower Blue Medium Anchor 941 Very close ΔE 4.37 Navy Blue Medium Anchor 148 Close ΔE 5.07 Delft Dark Anchor 940 Close ΔE 5.29 Sky Blue Dark Anchor 132 Close ΔE 5.31 Antique Blue Very Dark Anchor 1035 Noticeable ΔE 7.94

Working with Anchor 147

On white fabric
13:1
On dark fabric
1.6:1
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

Its nearest neighbor, Anchor 139 (Delft Very Dark), is barely a step away (ΔE 1.14). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 147

Anchor threads that pair well with 147, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
147
269 Avocado Green Very Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
147
112 Lavender Very Dark 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
147
352 Copper Very Dark 212 Jade Very Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
147
131 Sky Blue Medium 175 Cornflower Blue Light 128 Sky Blue Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 147 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

147 Navy Blue Medium Light 147 162 Baby Blue Very Dark 162 122 Blue Purple Medium 122 851 Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark 851 139 Delft Very Dark 139 979 Blue Very Dark 979 1035 Antique Blue Very Dark 1035 941 Cornflower Blue Medium 941 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark 1036 922 Antique Blue Dark 922 143 Royal Blue Dark 143

About Anchor 147

Navy Blue Medium Light (catalog code Anchor 147) is a dark, moderately saturated shade from the blues family with true blue tones. With a dark and rich quality, this thread works beautifully in water and denim textures. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring cool-toned backgrounds and nautical themes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Anchor 147?

Anchor 147 is called Navy Blue Medium Light. It's a dark blue shade (hex #203056, RGB 32, 48, 86) in the blues family, commonly used for whale designs, sapphire accents, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 147?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 147 (Navy Blue Medium Light) is DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium) with a 91% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 336 (Navy Blue, 91%) and DMC 803 (Baby Blue ultra very dark, 87%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 147?

The closest Anchor threads to 147 are 139 Delft Very Dark (ΔE 1.14), 143 Royal Blue Dark (ΔE 1.94), and 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark (ΔE 4.01). These are useful substitutes when 147 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 147?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 147 (Navy Blue Medium Light) for charts featuring whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms. The dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 147 (Navy Blue Medium Light)?

It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground. For reference, 147 has a contrast ratio of about 13:1 on white fabric and 1.6:1 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