Color #00396B Color / Colour Code #00396B
This page shows the hex color code for color #00396b (#00396B). The colour is a blue tone with 100% saturation and 21% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #00396B against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#00396B paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 178, 208, and 238 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 208, 328, and 88 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #00396B
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 208 and saturation at 100%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 208 to 253 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 208 with its complement at 28 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #00396B
Lightness variations at hue 208 and 100% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #00396B
Design Use Cases for #00396B
High-Impact Accent
With 100% saturation, #00396B is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#00396B at 21% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its blue character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Trust & Professional Identity
#00396B sits in the blue range (hue 208). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #00396B (hue 208) to its complement at hue 28. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 238. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #00396b, #6b3200);
CSS Code for #00396B
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #00396B based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #00396B across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #00396B (#00396B)
#00396B is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 0 red, 57 green, and 107 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 107.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 208 degrees with 100% saturation and 21% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #00396B is 46/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 100% cyan, 47% magenta, 0% yellow, and 58% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #00396B against white is 11.68:1 and against black is 1.80:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #6B3200 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #00396B. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #006B68 and #00046B, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #00396B
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #00396B?
- #00396B is Color #00396B, a blue color (colour) with RGB(0, 57, 107), HSL(208, 100%, 21%), and CMYK(100%, 47%, 0%, 58%). Its perceived brightness is 46/255.
- Is #00396B accessible for text?
- Against white, #00396B has a contrast ratio of 11.68:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.80:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #00396B?
- The complementary colour is #6B3200 (hue 28). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #006B68 and #00046B. The triadic palette adds #6B0039 and #396B00 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #00396B in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #00396b; or rgb(0, 57, 107); or hsl(208, 100%, 21%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 208 100% 21%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.