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.

How to Mix Navy Blue in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix navy blue (#1F2A44) in acrylic, 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.

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Target

Navy Blue

#1F2A44

Predicted dry result

93% match when dry

Mix to #202943 while wet. It dries to about #20253A.

Navy Blue in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	94%	94 ml
Ivory Black	PBk9	6%	6 ml

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: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A deep navy that stays blue, not black. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #1F2A44 in acrylic, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for acrylic. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

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

What colors make Navy Blue?

Ultramarine Blue and Ivory Black, in roughly a 94:6 ratio.

How to make Navy Blue in acrylic

Start with Ultramarine Blue at about 94% as your acrylic base, then work in Ivory Black in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #1F2A44.

Why mix Navy Blue instead of buying it

Mixing Navy Blue yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Navy Blue across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

Reaching for more black to deepen it kills the chroma, add the dark modifier already in the recipe instead.

Variations on Navy Blue

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.

Navy Blue in other mediums

Navy Blue in Oil: 94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Navy Blue in Watercolor: 94% Ultramarine Blue and 6% Ivory Black, predicted 97% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for navy blue

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Navy Blue + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

Deep-dive guide

How to mix Navy Blue, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.