Chromilla paint mixing tool

How to mix

Navy Blue paint in acrylic, oil and watercolor, compared

Real pigment ratios for navy blue (#1F2A44) in acrylic, oil and watercolor. The recipes below come straight from Chromilla’s mixer, calibrated to real manufacturer paint data.

Quick answer

To mix navy blue (#1F2A44) in acrylic (oil and watercolor are compared below), use 94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

Navy Blue in acrylic, oil and watercolor, side by side (dry match by Chromilla's color model, not a measured paint-out)
MediumTubes and partsPredicted dry matchDrying
Acrylic94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black93%Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
Oil94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black98%Dries true to color.
Watercolor94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black97%Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Dry shift, Value, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Transparency, Pigment code, Tint.

Target color

Navy Blue

#1F2A44

Live mixer

Open this color in the mixer

The Chromilla mixer is pre-loaded with #1F2A44. Change your brand, medium or palette and the recipe updates instantly.

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Recipes by medium

Checked August 2026

Generic pigment ratios, the same ones the Chromilla mixer solves for. Open the mixer to swap in your own brand and tubes.

acrylic

Pigment recipe

93% when dry

Wet mix

#202943

  1. 1. Ultramarine Blue (PB29)94%
  2. 2. Ivory Black (PBk9)6%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

oil

Pigment recipe

98% when dry

Wet mix

#202943

  1. 1. Ultramarine Blue (PB29)94%
  2. 2. Ivory Black (PBk9)6%

Dry-down

Dries true to color.

watercolour

Pigment recipe

97% when dry

Wet mix

#202943

  1. 1. Ultramarine Blue (PB29)94%
  2. 2. Ivory Black (PBk9)6%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

Common mistakes when mixing navy blue

Navy is dark blue, not black with a hint of blue, and using black to get there is the single most common mistake. Black flattens navy into a dull, lifeless color instead of the deep, still-saturated blue you're after. Darken ultramarine or a phthalo blue with a small amount of its complement (a burnt orange or a warm brown) instead, and the color stays alive at the dark end.

Exact single-medium recipes

Straight-to-the-ratio versions of navy blue in each medium, from the Chromilla mix library.

Why the three mediums differ for navy blue

  • acrylic carries a 10% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch warmer), so the acrylic mix is predicted to dry to #20253A.
  • oil dries true to color in Chromilla's model, so the oil mix is predicted to dry to #202943.
  • watercolor carries a 8% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch cooler), so the watercolor mix is predicted to dry to #1C2640.
  • In watercolor the paper is the white, so lighter versions come from adding water rather than white paint.

Acrylic recipe in detail

Navy Blue in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Ultramarine BluePB2994%94 ml
Ivory BlackPBk96%6 ml

Variations on Navy Blue (acrylic)

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Navy Blue

#333F5A

12 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Burnt Umber and 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Navy Blue

#0D172F

1 part Phthalo Blue to 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Navy Blue

#252844

86% Ultramarine Blue, 9% Alizarin Crimson and 5% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Navy Blue

#1E2A44

94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Navy Blue questions

What two colors make navy blue?
In acrylic, Ultramarine Blue and Ivory Black: 94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make navy blue paint lighter without losing the hue?
Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter navy blue (#333F5A) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 12 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Burnt Umber and 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does navy blue look different when acrylic dries?
Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #202943 is predicted to dry to about #20253A. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for navy blue?
Chromilla uses #1F2A44 as the target for navy blue. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #20253A.

Related colors

More colours to try once you have navy blue sorted.