Blue Color / Colour Code #16599C
This page shows the hex color code for blue (#16599C). The colour is a blue tone with 75% saturation and 35% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #16599C against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#16599C paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 180, 210, and 240 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 210, 330, and 90 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #16599C
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 210 and saturation at 75%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 210 to 255 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 210 with its complement at 30 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 #16599C
Lightness variations at hue 210 and 75% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #16599C
Design Use Cases for #16599C
Vibrant Brand Color
#16599C has a strong 75% saturation that makes it ideal for brand identity elements. Use it for logos, primary call-to-action buttons, hero section accents, and marketing materials where visual impact matters. This saturation level is eye-catching without being harsh.
Primary Interface Color
At 35% lightness, #16599C is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Trust & Professional Identity
#16599C sits in the blue range (hue 210). 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 #16599C (hue 210) to its complement at hue 30. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 240. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #16599c, #9c5916);
CSS Code for #16599C
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #16599C based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #16599C across image editing and color design tools.
About Blue (#16599C)
#16599C is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 22 red, 89 green, and 156 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 7.1:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 210 degrees with 75% saturation and 35% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #16599C is 77/255 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 86% cyan, 43% magenta, 0% yellow, and 39% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #16599C against white is 7.14:1 and against black is 2.94:1. 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 #9C5916 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #16599C. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #169C9C and #16169C, 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 #16599C
- 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 #16599C?
- #16599C is Blue, a blue color (colour) with RGB(22, 89, 156), HSL(210, 75%, 35%), and CMYK(86%, 43%, 0%, 39%). Its perceived brightness is 77/255.
- Is #16599C accessible for text?
- Against white, #16599C has a contrast ratio of 7.14:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.94:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #16599C?
- The complementary colour is #9C5916 (hue 30). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #169C9C and #16169C. The triadic palette adds #9C1659 and #599C16 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #16599C in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #16599c; or rgb(22, 89, 156); or hsl(210, 75%, 35%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 210 75% 35%; 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.