Sherwin-Williams NavalvsSherwin-Williams Indigo Batik
Why this comparison: Indigo Batik is lighter and more denim; Naval deeper and dressier. Naval and Indigo Batik are close but distinct (ΔE 6.41). Visible difference on the wall, especially in flat daylight.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
Indigo Batik is slightly lighter (LRV 8 vs 4, 4-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A saturated dark blue with just enough gray to keep it from looking like a child's paint set. That gray is the whole reason it works: it takes the edge off the blue without draining it, so Naval lands between a primary navy and the gray-blues everyone else calls navy. There is no green pull and no teal to speak of. When someone says a color "looks navy" from across a kitchen, this is usually the one they mean.
At LRV 4 it reflects almost nothing — the same neighborhood as a true black. Put it beside Tricorn Black (SW 6258, LRV 3) and you finally see the blue clearly; put it in a hallway with no lamp on and that blue disappears. Compared with Hale Navy (BM HC-154, LRV 6), Naval is a step deeper and clearly more colorful, where Hale Navy behaves like a soft charcoal that happens to be blue. That difference decides most of the arguments people have about these two.
A blue-gray navy with a gray base heavy enough to keep it from ever reading loud, and a cool lean that turns distinctly violet the moment warm light hits it. That is the whole character of the color: in flat daylight it is a clean, denim-like navy-blue, tailored and a little worn-in; switch on a 2700K lamp at night and the red in the warm bulb pulls a soft plum-violet out of the blue. Neither read is wrong — it is the same undertone behaving honestly under two different lights, and it is the single most-mentioned trait in every writeup of this color.
At LRV 8 it sits in true near-black territory — one point lighter than Sherwin-Williams' own Naval (LRV 4) and two lighter than Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (LRV 6), but still deep enough that a room with poor light will read the color as almost no color at all: just a dark wall. That is the trade every navy this deep makes, and Indigo Batik does not get a pass on it. Give it a window or real fixtures and the blue stays legible; starve it of light and it goes flat and cave-like.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Naval | Indigo Batik |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 6244 | SW 7602 |
| Hex | #2F3D4C | #3E5063 |
| RGB | 47, 61, 76 | 62, 80, 99 |
| LRV | 4 | 8 |
| Undertone | blue / cool | blue / cool |
| Family | Blue | Blue |
How Light Changes Them
Direct sun lifts the blue and the color finally shows its saturation. Midday is its best hour.
Cool, soft daylight has nothing to bounce off LRV 4. Expect near-black walls with a hint of blue at the edges.
Warm 2700K lamps keep it rich and cozy. Cool 4000K LEDs push it cold and stark — swap bulbs, not paint.
Basements, interior hallways, windowless baths: it stops being a color and becomes a black surface.
The clearest, most honest read: a tailored, denim-like navy-blue with the gray base showing, not the violet.
At LRV 8 the color needs light to stay legible. Without a window or real fixtures it reads as plain near-black, not navy.
Crisper and cooler in morning light, then noticeably deeper and more saturated by west afternoon sun.
2700K warm bulbs pull a soft violet out of the blue. Cool LEDs hold it closer to a flat blue-black instead.
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 lower cabinets with white uppers · front doors and shutters · a study or bedroom with real windows · anyone who wants dark without going black
The room has one small window or none · you want every cabinet dark in a small kitchen · you hate wiping dust and fingerprints · a sun-baked deck or south-facing wall
Kitchen islands and cabinets · front doors · bedrooms and dens with a lamp or two · anyone who wants a navy with more nuance than a flat black-blue
You want a color that reads exactly the same day and night · your room has no window and no supplemental light · you're pairing it with warm cream trim · you specifically don't want any purple in your navy
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Naval vs Indigo Batik FAQ
Which is lighter, Naval or Indigo Batik?
Indigo Batik is lighter: LRV 8 vs 4. Indigo Batik is slightly lighter (LRV 8 vs 4, 4-point delta).
Which is warmer, Naval or Indigo Batik?
They share the same undertone family — both read blue / cool. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Naval and Indigo Batik?
Naval and Indigo Batik are close but distinct (ΔE 6.41). Visible difference on the wall, especially in flat daylight. 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 Naval and Indigo Batik together in one house?
Yes, in separate rooms. They are close enough to feel related but different enough to notice, so give each its own room and connect them with a shared trim white. Avoid putting them on adjoining walls.
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