Naval has become one of the most requested navy blues we get asked about, and for good reason. It reads dark and dramatic in photos but livable in person, so it shows up on everything from bedroom accent walls to full exterior siding jobs. Below, we break down what this color actually is, where it performs best inside and outside the home, and which shades pair with it if you want to build a full palette around it.
Sherwin Williams Naval Paint Color
Naval SW 6244 is a deep, near-black navy blue with a Light Reflectance Value of 4, landing it well into “very dark” territory on the LRV scale. White sits at 100 and black at 0 on that same scale, so a color this low is soaking up far more light than it’s bouncing back.
That’s part of why Sherwin Williams navy blue shades like this one look almost charcoal in low light and shift to a richer blue under direct sun.
In Sherwin-Williams’ own color family groupings, naval sw 6244 sits within the blue family, though it’s dark and muted enough that plenty of people treat it as a neutral in a color scheme, the same way you’d use a deep charcoal or espresso brown. That double life is a big part of why Sherwin Williams Naval paint color works in so many rooms without clashing with the finishes already in them.
We see sw naval used most often in bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen walls, kitchen cabinets, doors, and exterior siding or trim.
It’s a favorite for accent walls because the depth of color creates real contrast against white trim and bedding, but it shows up just as often as a full-room color in bathrooms and as a cabinet color in kitchens that want a moodier, more furniture-like look than white or gray cabinetry gives.
If you’re set on using naval by Sherwin Williams somewhere brighter, like a living room, it still works — just lean on lighter partners so the space doesn’t feel closed in. White trim, warm or cool gray walls, and soft light blue accents all balance out the navy and let it read as sophisticated rather than heavy.
Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, a soft seafoam, keeps a navy-heavy room feeling airy, and Valspar Blue Arrow, a mid-tone blue, can sit alongside Naval without competing with it. Naval also happens to be one of the easier colors to build a two-tone scheme around, since it grounds a lighter partner shade so well — our two-tone wall colors examples post has a few layouts to borrow from if that’s the direction you’re leaning.
Sherwin Williams Naval Bedroom
A Sherwin Williams naval bedroom is usually built around one accent wall, most often the headboard wall, rather than all four walls in navy. That keeps the drama without tipping the room into feeling like a cave, especially in bedrooms that don’t get a ton of natural light.
White or cream bedding, brass or warm wood furniture, and a mix of linen and wool textures all read beautifully against this shade. Still deciding on the rest of the palette? Our best paint colors for bedroom walls roundup covers the lighter shades that work well with a navy accent wall, plus how to decide which wall should carry the color.
Sherwin Williams Naval Bathroom
In bathrooms, Naval tends to show up on vanities and lower cabinetry about as often as on walls — a full Sherwin Williams Naval bathroom in a small space can start to feel tight without the right lighting plan.
Brass or matte black fixtures, marble or white quartz countertops, and plenty of overhead and vanity lighting keep the color from swallowing the room. Powder rooms and primary bathrooms with good natural light tend to be where this shade gets used with the most confidence, simply because there’s less risk of the space reading dark and closed off.
Sherwin Williams Naval Kitchen
On kitchen walls, a Sherwin Williams Naval kitchen usually pairs the color with white or light wood cabinetry rather than painting every surface navy, which keeps the room from tipping into heavy. It’s especially popular behind open shelving or as a backsplash-adjacent wall color, where it can act almost like a piece of art behind lighter fixtures and dishware.
Sherwin Williams Naval Cabinets
Sherwin Williams Naval kitchen cabinets are one of the most common uses of this color, and once you see it in person, it’s easy to understand why. It reads as a deep, almost black-blue that photographs beautifully against brass hardware, white countertops, and light-colored flooring.
Lower cabinets in navy with white or wood uppers is an especially common combination, since it grounds the kitchen visually without darkening the whole room. Cabinet painting is a different job than walls, though — coverage and prep matter more with a color this dark, because scuffs and uneven spots show up faster than they would on something lighter. Our how do you paint kitchen cabinets post covers that process in more detail.
Sherwin Williams Naval Exterior
Naval Sherwin Williams exterior applications have grown a lot over the past few years, particularly on front doors, shutters, and full siding on modern farmhouse and coastal-style homes. Because the LRV is so low, it absorbs more heat than a lighter exterior color would, so that’s worth factoring in if you’re in a hot, sun-heavy climate, especially on siding rather than smaller accent areas like trim or a door.
Paired with white trim, black window frames, and warm wood accents like a front door or porch ceiling, it gives a home real curb appeal without looking like every other white or gray house on the block. Durability and fade resistance matter more on a dark exterior color than almost anywhere else in the home, so it’s worth comparing paint lines before you lock in a brand — our best rated exterior house paint roundup is a good place to start. If your siding is vinyl rather than wood or fiber cement, take a look at our vinyl siding painting guide first, since vinyl has its own prep steps and paint requirements that differ from other siding types.
Sherwin Williams Naval Front Door
A front door in this shade is an easy, low-commitment way to try Naval paint by Sherwin Williams — it’s a small surface, but it still makes a strong first impression. It works with almost any house color, from crisp white siding to warm beige brick, and it photographs especially well against a brass kickplate, house numbers, or door handle.
Carrying the color onto the surrounding trim or frame? Frames and doors get prepped and painted a little differently than flat wall surfaces, and our how to paint door frames guide covers what changes.
Sherwin Williams Naval Benjamin Moore Equivalent
If your project is built around a Benjamin Moore palette, the closest widely recommended match to Sherwin Williams 6244 Naval is Hale Navy (HC-154). The two aren’t identical: Hale Navy has a higher LRV, somewhere around 6 to 8 depending on the source, which makes it read a touch lighter and grayer than Naval’s more saturated, nearly-black blue.
For a bit more color and a slightly different undertone than Hale Navy, Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue sits in a similar family of deep, sophisticated blues without being an exact copy of either color.
What Benjamin Moore Color Is Similar to SW Naval?
Hale Navy (HC-154) is still the go-to cross-brand answer, but order a sample of both before you commit — the LRV difference gets a lot more noticeable once the paint is up on a full wall instead of a small swatch. If Hale Navy looks slightly too gray for what you had in mind, test Van Deusen Blue next; it holds onto more of that true, saturated navy character that makes sw naval so recognizable in the first place.
