Navy blue explained

Navy blue
Spelling:color
Hex:000080
Source:HTML/CSS[1]
Isccname:Vivid blue
Cmyk:(100, 100, 0, 50)

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, 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.

Variations

Indigo dye

Indigo dye
Hex:091F92
Source:Gallego and Sanz[5]
Isccname:Vivid blue

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)
Hex:0066CC
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Vivid blue

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
Hex:022A3A
Source:United States Navy
Isccname:Dark azure blue

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.

Peacoat

Peacoat
Hex:2B2E43
Source:Pantone TCX[7]
Isccname:Dark purplish blue

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

Persian indigo

Persian Indigo
Hex:32127A
Source:99colors.net[8] /Maerz and Paul[9]
Isccname:Vivid purplish blue

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

Space cadet
Hex:1E2952
Source:Resene[11]
Isccname:Dark blue

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)
Hex:000080
Source:w3schools.com[13]

Military

Music

Fashion

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

Association football

Australian Football League

Major League Baseball

National Basketball Association

National Football League

National Hockey League

National Rugby League

American Collegiate Teams

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CSS Color Module Level 3. w3.org. 19 June 2018.
  2. Web site: Uninforms and Badges of Rank (Archived). National Archives. 10 July 2025. 8 December 2010. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101208220218/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/rn-life/uniforms-and-badges-of-rank/index.htm. bot: unknown.
  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). GuĂ­a de coloraciones (Gallego, Rosa; Sanz, Juan Carlos (2005). Guide to Colorations) Madrid: H. Blume.
  6. Web site: America's Navy Color Palette: Digital. United States Navy Licensing Guide. 8 April 2021. 27 August 2022. 31 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220831225037/https://media.defense.gov/2021/Apr/08/2002616384/-1/-1/1/FINALLICENSINGGUIDELINES_DIGITAL_2162021.PDF#page=34. live.
  7. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx Pantone TCX
  8. Web site: 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. Web site: Colour Swatch. Resene Swatches.
  12. Web site: Resene Color List. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240711222405/https://www.resene.co.nz/swatches/preview.php?chart=Resene%20Multi-finish%20range%20%282016%29&brand=Resene&name=Space%20Cadet. 11 July 2024. 24 July 2024.
  13. Web site: HTML Color Names. www.w3schools.com. 2018-04-07. 2014-04-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20140410230341/http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colornames.asp. dead.
  14. Web site: Canadian Forces Dress Instructions. https://web.archive.org/web/20090326174038/http://www.army.gc.ca/lf/Downloads/cfp265.pdf. 26 March 2009.
  15. Web site: Diane Renay. 30 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20070404022114/http://www.dianerenay.com/. 4 April 2007. usurped.