Farrow & Ball Hague BluevsBenjamin Moore Hale Navy
Why this comparison: The UK cult navy against America’s default navy. Hague Blue and Hale Navy are very close (ΔE 3.1). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
LRV is essentially equal (7 vs 8) — both reflect light the same.
What Each Color Really Is
A deep teal-navy built on a quiet green base — Farrow & Ball's own literature calls it a rich, dark blue with a green undertone, and that green is doing more work than the name lets on. Most near-black blues go one of two ways: cold and flat, or so dark they read as plain black. Hague Blue does neither, because the green keeps a trace of warmth moving under the blue even in weak light. It has been in the core range for decades and has quietly become the brand's best-known dark blue — the color designers and kitchen fitters reach for first when a client asks for "that Farrow & Ball blue" without naming one.
At LRV 7 it is genuinely close to black — it reflects almost nothing back into the room, so the light you give it is the color you get. That is the number-one surprise in owner accounts: the navy you saw on the sample in daylight reads as a near-black blue by evening, and a north-facing room without real lamps can lose the color almost entirely. Farrow & Ball's own color consultant Patrick O'Donnell has pointed to the green note as the reason it still works in north-facing rooms better than a straight navy would — the green keeps it from turning chilly the way a colder blue-black does. It is not a free pass on light, but it is a real advantage over its rivals.
A dark blue with a heavy pour of charcoal in it — that is the whole color in one sentence. Most navies on the fan deck are built on a clean blue pigment that stays obviously blue no matter where you put it. Hale Navy is knocked back with gray, so the blue only steps forward when light lands on it directly. Stand a Hale Navy sample next to a true black like Onyx 2133-10 and the blue is unmistakable. Stand it alone on a wall across the room and most people will call it charcoal. Both reactions are correct, and which one you get depends almost entirely on where the color sits relative to your windows and lamps.
At LRV 8 it hands back only a few percent of the light that hits it. Practically, that means the wall contributes nothing to the brightness of the room — every bit of light you have has to come from the windows and the fixtures, and the corners farthest from both will go flat and dark. This is also why paper samples lie: a two-inch chip is floated in a sea of white paper that bounces light back into it, so it looks like a rich blue in your hand and like a shadow once it covers a wall. Paint a large sample board, lean it where the actual surface will be, and look at it at 9 a.m., 4 p.m., and after dinner.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Hague Blue | Hale Navy |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Farrow & Ball | Benjamin Moore |
| SKU | No. 30 | HC-154 |
| Hex | #3F4D57 | #434B56 |
| RGB | 63, 77, 87 | 67, 75, 86 |
| LRV | 7 | 8 |
| Undertone | blue / cool | blue / cool |
| Family | Blue | Blue |
How Light Changes Them
Real sun is where the green comes forward and the color is unmistakably teal-navy, not black. Sample here first.
Weak or north light drains the color to a flat, near-black navy with little of the green left to see. Lamps are part of the job.
Distinctly navy in morning light, greener at midday, close to black-blue by evening — the same paint, three different moods.
2700K lamps pull it toward a soft, warm charcoal-navy at night. Cool 4000K LEDs push it colder and closer to plain black.
Steady warm daylight lifts it into a real, readable navy most of the day.
Cool gray light drains it toward slate, then near-black by late afternoon.
2700K lamps blacken it. 3000–3500K keeps the navy legible. Bulbs matter here.
It will close the space in. Great in a powder room or den, wrong in a family bath.
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
Kitchen islands and cabinets under warm wood and brass · front doors, railings and ironwork · paneled studies, libraries and home offices · powder rooms and small drenched spaces · dining rooms lit by lamps and candles
You want an obvious, unmistakable navy · your room is dim, north-facing and short on lamps · you're choosing between this and Railings or Off-Black without comparing real chips side by side · you need a cheap gallon
Kitchen lowers and islands with light counters · front doors on white, gray, or brick · built-ins and a fireplace wall · a bright south-facing office or dining room
Your room faces north and is small · you want people to see blue, not near-black · you are hand-brushing cabinets with rough prep · the surface bakes in direct sun all day
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Hague Blue vs Hale Navy FAQ
Which is lighter, Hague Blue or Hale Navy?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 7 vs 8. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
Which is warmer, Hague Blue or Hale Navy?
They share the same undertone family — both read blue / cool. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Hague Blue and Hale Navy?
Hague Blue and Hale Navy are very close (ΔE 3.1). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Hague Blue and Hale Navy together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 3.1 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
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