Navy blue

For other uses, see Navy blue (disambiguation).

Navy blue
From top left: Navy blue jets fly in formation, Night sky, people carrying Navy blue umbrellas
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000080
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 128)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 50%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(13, 52, 266°)
Source	HTML/CSS [1]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. The name navy blue originally referred to the color of uniforms worn by officers in the British navy. In the late 18th century, the British Royal Navy adopted the color for its sailors' uniforms, partly due to the practical reason that dark colors were less prone to showing dirt and wear during long sea voyages. The color became so associated with naval service that it came to be known simply as "navy blue."

History

Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the British Royal Navy.The first uniform regulations for officers were issued in 1748, with the predominant colors being dark blue, and white. ^[2] It was initially called marine blue, ^[3] but by at least 1780, it was being referred to in the British press as navy blue. ^[4]

The distinctive dark shade of blue was subsequently adopted by other navies and military forces around the world, including those in the United States who adopted a version of navy blue in 1814, becoming a symbol of military authority and discipline.

The color gained further popularity as a neutral and versatile hue. Navy blue was often used for business suits, school uniforms and other formal wear. It was especially prominent in men's fashion in the mid-20th century.

• 
  Captain Edward Vernon in the navy blue and white uniform of the Royal Navy (c1750)
• 
  French sailor in dark blue uniform (c1843)

Variations

Indigo dye

Main article: Indigo § Indigo dye color

Indigo dye
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#091F92
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(9, 31, 146)
HSV (h, s, v)	(230°, 94%, 57%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(20, 70, 264°)
Source	Gallego and Sanz [5]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Indigo dye is the color which is called Añil (the Spanish word for "indigo dye") in the Guía de coloraciones (Guide to colorations) by Rosa Gallego and Juan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005 that is widely popular in the Hispanophone realm.

Indigo dye is the basis for all the historical navy blue colors, since in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century, almost every navy uniform was made by dyeing them with various shades of indigo dye.

Navy blue (Crayola)

Navy blue (Crayola)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0066CC
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(0, 102, 204)
HSV (h, s, v)	(210°, 100%, 80%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(44, 93, 255°)
Source	Crayola
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The Crayola color named "navy blue" is not as dark a shade as the blues actually used by navies.

This tone of navy blue was formulated as a Crayola color in 1958.

U.S. Navy blue

U.S. Navy blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#022A3A
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(2, 42, 58)
HSV (h, s, v)	(197°, 97%, 23%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(15, 17, 232°)
Source	United States Navy
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Dark azure blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The United States Navy uses #022A3A as an official color. ^[6] Navy blue is the predominant color of U.S. Navy uniforms. The flag of the U.S. Navy uses navy blue.

• 
  US Navy soldiers in navy blue cameo
• 
  Flag of the US Navy

Peacoat

Peacoat
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#2B2E43
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(43, 46, 67)
HSV (h, s, v)	(232°, 36%, 26%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(20, 15, 262°)
Source	Pantone TCX [7]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Dark purplish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The source of this color is the Pantone textile cotton extended color list, color #19-3920 TCX—peacoat.

Persian indigo

Main article: Persian blue § Persian indigo

Persian Indigo
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#32127A
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(50, 18, 122)
HSV (h, s, v)	(258°, 85%, 48%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(18, 56, 272°)
Source	99colors.net [8] /Maerz and Paul [9]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid purplish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The color Persian indigo is displayed on the right. Another name for this color is regimental because in the 19th century, it was commonly used by many nations for navy uniforms, though it is rarely used in modern times.

Persian indigo is named for an association with a product from Persia: Persian cloth dyed with indigo.

The first recorded use of regimental (the original name for the color now called Persian indigo) as a color name in English was in 1912. ^[10]

Space cadet

Main article: Cadet grey § Space cadet

Space cadet
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1E2952
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(30, 41, 82)
HSV (h, s, v)	(227°, 63%, 32%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(18, 29, 260°)
Source	Resene [11]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Dark blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Space cadet is one of the colors on the Resene Color List, ^[12] a color list widely popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color was formulated in 2007.

This color is apparently a formulation of an impression of the color that cadets in space navy training would wear.

In culture

Computers

Navy Blue (HTML)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000080
sRGB B (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 128)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 50%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(13, 52, 266°)
Source	w3schools.com [13]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

• The color navy was one of the original 16 HTML/CSS colors initially formulated for standardized computer display in the late 1980s.

Military

• In many world navies, including the United States Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, uniforms which are called "navy blue" are, in actuality, colored black, as the uniforms became progressively darker over time to counter fading of the dye, although modern dyes are fade resistant. The Canadian Forces dress instructions specify that "'navy blue' is a tone of black". ^[14] (See also uniforms of the United States Navy and uniforms of the Royal Canadian Navy.)

Music

• Navy Blue is an album by Diane Renay (all the songs are about sailors). ^[15]

Fashion

• Navy blue and white, often accented with gold buttons or rope motifs, are signature elements of nautical style. The colous evoke a sense of naval tradition and oceanic life. They are often seen in the form of Breton stripes; horizontal stripes found in the traditional marinière of the French navy. The colors have become synonymous with seaside chic.

Navy blue is also considered to be a classic color in other styles of dress, especially in business casual. It associates with naval power, authority, and formal events, though it's also a common choice for a range of contemporary uses, from interior design to school uniforms.

Sports

• Navy blue is used by numerous professional and collegiate sports teams:

Association football Scottish national team United States men's and women's national teams Falkirk F.C. Manchester City F.C. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. West Bromwich Albion F.C. York City F.C. Società Ginnastica Andrea Doria Genoa C.F.C. Melbourne Victory FC Girondins de Bordeaux Fenerbahçe S.K. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Chicago Fire Soccer Club Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution New York City F.C. Philadelphia Union Sporting Kansas City Vancouver Whitecaps Viking Stavanger Australian Football League Adelaide Crows Carlton Blues Geelong Cats Melbourne Demons Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves Boston Red Sox Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins New York Yankees St. Louis Cardinals Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals

National Basketball Association Dallas Mavericks Denver Nuggets Indiana Pacers Memphis Grizzlies Minnesota Timberwolves New Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma City Thunder Washington Wizards National Football League Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Houston Texans New England Patriots Los Angeles Chargers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans National Hockey League Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers Nashville Predators New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Seattle Kraken Washington Capitals Winnipeg Jets

National Rugby League Melbourne Storm North Queensland Cowboys Sydney Roosters American Collegiate Teams University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley University of Pittsburgh Auburn University Adamson University Florida Atlantic University Florida International University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Gonzaga University University of Illinois University of Notre Dame University of Maine University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Nevada, Reno University of Virginia Palm Beach Atlantic University Pennsylvania State University University of Rhode Island Saint Mary's College of California Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Syracuse University West Virginia University United States Naval Academy Xavier University Colegio de San Juan de Letran Catawba College University of Connecticut

See also

• Air Force blue
• Army green
• Azure (color)
• List of colors
• Midnight blue
• Royal blue
• Sky blue

References

1. "CSS Color Module Level 3". w3.org. 19 June 2018.
2. "Uninforms and Badges of Rank (Archived)". National Archives. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
3. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill Page 168 Discussion of color navy blue
4. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/navy-blue_n?tab=factsheet#13346423
5. Gallego, Rosa; Sanz, Juan Carlos (2005). Guía de coloraciones (Gallego, Rosa; Sanz, Juan Carlos (2005). Guide to Colorations) Madrid: H. Blume. ISBN   84-89840-31-8
6. "America's Navy Color Palette: Digital" (PDF). United States Navy Licensing Guide. 8 April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
7. Pantone TCX
8. "Color Persian indigo | Hex Code #32127A | RGB 50, 18, 122". www.99colors.net.
9. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called regimental in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color regimental is displayed on page 117, Plate 47, Color Sample C10.
10. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 203 (It is also stated under the entry on Persian Blue on page 201 that the color on Plate 47 Color Sample C10 (regimental) is a [darker] tone of Persian Blue.); color sample of Regimental: Page 117 Plate 47 Color Sample C10
11. "Colour Swatch". Resene Swatches.
12. "Resene Color List". Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
13. "HTML Color Names". www.w3schools.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
14. "Canadian Forces Dress Instructions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009.
15. "Diane Renay". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2016.

External links

• Media related to Navy blue at Wikimedia Commons