Anchor Stranded Cotton

921 — Antique Blue Medium

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 921? This medium-dark, subdued blue shade (Antique Blue Medium) is hex #586172, RGB 88, 97, 114. 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
#586172
RGB
88, 97, 114
HSL
219°, 13%, 40%
Lab
41.0, 0.6, -10.8
Lightness
40%
Dark
Saturation
13%
Neutral
Hue
219°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 921

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

Anchor 921 Antique Blue Medium

Sullivans

Steel Grey Dark 45090 81% Good
Antique Blue Medium 45274 68% Approx
Pewter Grey 45058 60% Fair
Grey Green Dark 45384 56% Fair
Grey Blue 45476 52% Fair

Crescent Colours

Deep Blue Sea 065 82% Good
Smoke 039 68% Approx
Plymouth Rock 163 68% Approx
Deep Fennel 053 65% Approx
Blue Moon 005 60% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 921

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

Anchor 921 Antique Blue Medium
Antique Blue Medium Dark Anchor 1034 Near identical ΔE 2 Blue Grey Anchor 939 Very close ΔE 4.79 Blue Medium Anchor 977 Very close ΔE 4.86 Blue Dark Anchor 978 Close ΔE 5.01 Grey Blue Very Dark Anchor 779 Noticeable ΔE 6.45 Grey Blue Dark Anchor 850 Noticeable ΔE 7.47 Blue Purple Light Anchor 121 Noticeable ΔE 7.97 Sky Blue Medium Anchor 131 Noticeable ΔE 8.32

Working with Anchor 921

On white fabric
6.2:1
On dark fabric
3.4:1
Temperature
soft 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

Its nearest neighbor, Anchor 1034 (Antique Blue Medium Dark), is barely a step away (ΔE 2). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 921

Anchor threads that pair well with 921, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
921
844 Khaki Green Medium
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
921
1034 Antique Blue Medium Dark 850 Grey Blue Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
921
233 Shell Grey Dark 876 Sea Foam Green Medium
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
921
979 Blue Very Dark 1033 Antique Blue 120 Blue Purple Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 921 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

921 Antique Blue Medium 921 121 Blue Purple Light 121 176 Cornflower Blue Medium 176 161 Baby Blue Dark 161 977 Blue Medium 977 131 Sky Blue Medium 131 137 Delft Medium Dark 137 1034 Antique Blue Medium Dark 1034 146 Navy Blue Light 146 410 Electric Blue Dark 410 978 Blue Dark 978

About Anchor 921

Antique Blue Medium (catalog code Anchor 921) is a medium-dark, subdued shade from the blues family with sky blue tones. With a muted and intense 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 921?

Anchor 921 is called Antique Blue Medium. It's a medium-dark blue shade (hex #586172, RGB 88, 97, 114) in the blues family, commonly used for whale designs, sapphire accents, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 921?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 921 (Antique Blue Medium) is DMC 414 (Steel Grey dark) with a 79% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 317 (Pewter Grey, 75%) and DMC 931 (Antique Blue medium, 72%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 921?

The closest Anchor threads to 921 are 1034 Antique Blue Medium Dark (ΔE 2), 939 Blue Grey (ΔE 4.79), and 977 Blue Medium (ΔE 4.86). These are useful substitutes when 921 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 921?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 921 (Antique Blue Medium) for charts featuring whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms. The medium-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 921 (Antique Blue Medium)?

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, 921 has a contrast ratio of about 6.2:1 on white fabric and 3.4:1 on black. As a soft cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion