Anchor Stranded Cotton

940 — Delft Dark

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 940? This medium-dark, muted blue shade (Delft Dark) is hex #373D63, RGB 55, 61, 99. Cross-brand equivalents in Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art Sampler, and Valdani are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby Anchor shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#373D63
RGB
55, 61, 99
HSL
232°, 29%, 30%
Lab
26.9, 8.5, -23.2
Lightness
30%
Dark
Saturation
29%
Muted
Hue
232°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 940

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

Anchor 940 Delft Dark

Sullivans

Navy Blue Light 45055 70% Approx
Grey Blue 45476 65% Approx
Cornflower Blue 45404 65% Approx
Wedgewood Dark 45440 63% Fair
Navy Blue Medium 45054 61% Fair

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 62% Fair
Blooming Crocus 032 58% Fair
Blue Moon 005 57% Fair
Tartan Plaid 073 54% Fair
Blue Beatrice 132 48% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 940

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

Anchor 940 Delft Dark
Sky Blue Dark Anchor 132 Near identical ΔE 1.09 Blue Purple Medium Anchor 122 Very close ΔE 4.08 Delft Very Dark Anchor 139 Very close ΔE 4.46 Navy Blue Medium Light Anchor 147 Close ΔE 5.29 Cornflower Blue Medium Anchor 941 Noticeable ΔE 6.69 Cornflower Blue Dark Anchor 177 Noticeable ΔE 7.01 Royal Blue Dark Anchor 143 Noticeable ΔE 7.2 Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark Anchor 1036 Noticeable ΔE 7.69

Working with Anchor 940

On white fabric
10.4:1
On dark fabric
2:1
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

Anchor 940 (Delft Dark) sits a hair from Anchor 132 (Sky Blue Dark) (ΔE 1.09) — 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 940

Anchor threads that pair well with 940, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
940
268 Avocado Green Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
940
100 Violet Dark 164 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
940
359 Coffee Very Dark 211 Jade Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
940
121 Blue Purple Light 175 Cornflower Blue Light 117 Blue Violet Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 940 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

940 Delft Dark 940 410 Electric Blue Dark 410 978 Blue Dark 978 779 Grey Blue Very Dark 779 142 Royal Blue Medium 142 132 Sky Blue Dark 132 162 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

About Anchor 940

Meet Anchor 940, Delft Dark — a muted, medium-dark thread in the blues family with true blue tones. Stitchers describe its character as somber and rich, perfect for forget-me-nots and bluebird motifs. It blends comfortably into projects centered on whale designs and sapphire accents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 940 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 940 is Delft Dark — a medium-dark blue thread (hex #373D63, RGB 55, 61, 99). It shows up most in water and denim textures.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 940?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 940 (Delft Dark) is DMC 803 (Baby Blue ultra very dark) with a 74% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 158 (Cornflower Blue medium, 74%) and DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium, 71%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 940?

The closest Anchor threads to 940 are 132 Sky Blue Dark (ΔE 1.09), 122 Blue Purple Medium (ΔE 4.08), and 139 Delft Very Dark (ΔE 4.46). These are useful substitutes when 940 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 940 good for?

Anchor 940 (Delft Dark) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring water, denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, nautical themes. 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 940.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 940 (Delft Dark)?

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, 940 has a contrast ratio of about 10.4:1 on white fabric and 2:1 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