Anchor Stranded Cotton

148 — Navy Blue Medium

Blues family

Below: Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium), a dark, vivid blue shade with hex #0E204B and RGB 14, 32, 75. Find its closest J&P Coates, Sullivans, and Cosmo matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar Anchor shades and a full set of color harmony picks.

Hex
#0E204B
RGB
14, 32, 75
HSL
222°, 69%, 17%
Lab
13.4, 10.4, -28.9
Lightness
17%
Very dark
Saturation
69%
Rich
Hue
222°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 148

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

Anchor 148 Navy Blue Medium

Sullivans

Navy Blue 45069 91% Good
Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 45494 88% Good
Navy Blue Medium 45054 79% Approx
Antique Blue Very Dark 45375 76% Approx
Blue Very Dark 45225 74% Approx

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 51% Fair
Purple Aster 070 43% Fair
Wavy Navy 075 39% Fair
Nighty Nite 160 28% Fair
Tartan Plaid 073 23% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 148

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

Anchor 148 Navy Blue Medium
Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark Anchor 1036 Very close ΔE 2.68 Royal Blue Dark Anchor 143 Very close ΔE 4.2 Sky Blue Very Dark Anchor 133 Close ΔE 5.06 Navy Blue Medium Light Anchor 147 Close ΔE 5.07 Cornflower Blue Medium Anchor 941 Close ΔE 5.23 Delft Very Dark Anchor 139 Noticeable ΔE 5.54 Blue Purple Dark Anchor 123 Noticeable ΔE 6.1 Cornflower Blue Very D Anchor 178 Noticeable ΔE 7.2

Working with Anchor 148

On white fabric
15.8:1
On dark fabric
1.3:1
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.

Backstitch & outlines

Very dark shades like Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium) are workhorses for backstitch outlines, lettering, and fine detail — the depth reads cleanly at a single strand over one.

Blending & gradients

Because Anchor 1036 (Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark) is so near (ΔE 2.68), the pair makes a natural two-step gradient — handy for shading skin, petals, or skies without a hard seam.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 148

Anchor threads that pair well with 148, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
148
269 Avocado Green Very Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
148
112 Lavender Very Dark 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
148
380 Black Brown Medium Dark 862 Fern Green Very Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
148
132 Sky Blue Dark 176 Cornflower Blue Medium 175 Cornflower Blue Light 128 Sky Blue Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 148 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

148 Navy Blue Medium 148 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark 1036 922 Antique Blue Dark 922 143 Royal Blue Dark 143 133 Sky Blue Very Dark 133 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 164 150 Navy Blue Dark 150 123 Blue Purple Dark 123 149 Navy Blue Medium Dark 149 134 Sky Blue Ultra Dark 134 152 Navy Blue Ultra Very Dark 152

About Anchor 148

Anchor 148 is the floss known as Navy Blue Medium: a vivid, dark member of the blues family with true blue tones. The bold and saturated character of this shade lends itself well to denim textures and cool-toned backgrounds. Stitchers frequently choose it for nautical themes and winter scenes in their projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Anchor 148 look like?

Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium) is a dark shade in the blues family with hex #0E204B and RGB 14, 32, 75. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring sapphire accents and porcelain patterns.

Which DMC thread matches Anchor 148?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium) is DMC 336 (Navy Blue) with a 79% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium, 72%) and DMC 820 (Royal Blue very dark, 70%).

What Anchor colors are similar to 148?

The closest Anchor threads to 148 are 1036 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark (ΔE 2.68), 143 Royal Blue Dark (ΔE 4.2), and 133 Sky Blue Very Dark (ΔE 5.06). These are useful substitutes when 148 is unavailable or for building gradients.

When should I use Anchor 148?

Reach for Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium) when your project calls for sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms, skies. Its dark character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 148.

Is Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium) good for backstitching and outlines?

It's an excellent outline color. The depth of 148 defines edges and text cleanly where lighter threads would disappear into the fill; one strand is usually enough for backstitch.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion