Color comparison
Navy Blue #000080 vs Midnight Blue #191970: RGB distance 38.8 and contrast 1.08:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Navy Blue and Midnight Blue are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 38.8. Midnight Blue is lighter by 0.0051, and Navy Blue is more saturated by 36 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Navy Blue and Midnight Blue across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Navy Blue is #000080, a cool blue with hue 240°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0156. Beside Midnight Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 16.01:1.
blue color
Midnight Blue is #191970, a cool blue with hue 240°, saturation 64% and luminance 0.0207. Beside Navy Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 14.85:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Navy Blue and Midnight Blue, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "navy-blue",
"name": "Navy Blue",
"hex": "#000080",
"rgb": [
0,
0,
128
],
"hsl": [
240,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
100,
100,
0,
50
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"dark",
"classic"
],
"luminance": 0.0156,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.31,
"white": 16.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 16.01
},
"description": "Navy Blue is #000080, a cool blue color with dark and classic character. Compared with Midnight Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for branding, formal design, and interfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/navy-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/navy-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "midnight-blue",
"name": "Midnight Blue",
"hex": "#191970",
"rgb": [
25,
25,
112
],
"hsl": [
240,
64,
27
],
"cmyk": [
78,
78,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"dark",
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0207,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.41,
"white": 14.85
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.85
},
"description": "Midnight Blue is #191970, a cool blue color with dark and jewel tone character. Compared with Navy Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for luxury branding, night themes, and editorial design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/midnight-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/midnight-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 38.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 36,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0051,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Midnight Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Navy Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Navy Blue",
"background": "#000080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 16.01
},
{
"color": "Midnight Blue",
"background": "#191970",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.85
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Navy Blue is better when the design needs dark and classic blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #000080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Midnight Blue is better when the design needs dark and jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #191970.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/navy-blue-vs-midnight-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/navy-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/midnight-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "navy-blue-vs-midnight-blue",
"type": "curated",
"name": "Navy Blue vs Midnight Blue",
"verdict": "Navy Blue and Midnight Blue are visually related colors. Midnight Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Navy Blue and Midnight Blue are different blue colors with HEX values #000080 and #191970. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 38.8, their contrast ratio is 1.08:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 38.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "navy-blue",
"name": "Navy Blue",
"hex": "#000080",
"rgb": [
0,
0,
128
],
"hsl": [
240,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
100,
100,
0,
50
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"dark",
"classic"
],
"luminance": 0.0156,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.31,
"white": 16.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 16.01
},
"description": "Navy Blue is #000080, a cool blue color with dark and classic character. Compared with Midnight Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for branding, formal design, and interfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/navy-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/navy-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "midnight-blue",
"name": "Midnight Blue",
"hex": "#191970",
"rgb": [
25,
25,
112
],
"hsl": [
240,
64,
27
],
"cmyk": [
78,
78,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"dark",
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0207,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.41,
"white": 14.85
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.85
},
"description": "Midnight Blue is #191970, a cool blue color with dark and jewel tone character. Compared with Navy Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for luxury branding, night themes, and editorial design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/midnight-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/midnight-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 38.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 36,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0051,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Midnight Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Navy Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Navy Blue",
"background": "#000080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 16.01
},
{
"color": "Midnight Blue",
"background": "#191970",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.85
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Navy Blue is better when the design needs dark and classic blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #000080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Midnight Blue is better when the design needs dark and jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #191970.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/navy-blue-vs-midnight-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/navy-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/midnight-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/navy-blue-vs-midnight-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/navy-blue-vs-midnight-blue.json"
}