Naval (SW 6244) vs Anchors Aweigh (SW 9179)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Naval, LRV 4 vs 3.
- Warmer
- Anchors Aweigh, both blue-gray (Lab b* -9.4 vs -11.0).
- North rooms
- Naval keeps more brightness (L* 21.2 vs 17.3 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Sky High SW 6504, #DCE7E8, LRV 78: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.3, noticeably different. At 3.3, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Naval (SW 6244) is about as light as Anchors Aweigh (SW 9179) and slightly cooler: LRV 4 vs 3, deltaE 3.3 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Naval | Anchors Aweigh | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6244 | SW 9179 | |
| Hex | #2F3D4C | #2B3441 | |
| RGB | 47, 61, 76 | 43, 52, 65 | |
| HSL | 211°, 24%, 24% | 215°, 20%, 21% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Lab L* | 25.2 | 21.4 | +3.8 |
| Lab a* | -1.4 | -0.1 | −1.3 |
| Lab b* | -11.0 | -9.4 | −1.6 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue | Cool | |
| Temperature | cool | cool | |
| Color family | Blue | Black |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Naval (SW 6244), published as #2F3D4C
#1C354A
#40454C
Anchors Aweigh (SW 9179), published as #2B3441
#192C3F
#3B3C41
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Naval (SW 6244) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 1 LRV points lighter (4 vs 3), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Naval (SW 6244) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is -11.0 against -9.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Anchors Aweigh (SW 9179) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* -9.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Naval in other brands
Closest matches to Anchors Aweigh in other brands
Common questions
- Is Naval the same color as Anchors Aweigh?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.3. Most people can see the difference between Naval and Anchors Aweigh side by side.
- Which is lighter, Naval or Anchors Aweigh?
- Naval, with an LRV of 4 against 3.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.