Dark Blue Color / Colour Code #242B42
This page shows the hex color code for dark blue (#242B42). The colour is a blue tone with 29% saturation and 20% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #242B42 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#242B42 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 196, 226, and 256 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 226, 346, and 106 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #242B42
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 226 and saturation at 29%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 226 to 271 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 226 with its complement at 46 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 #242B42
Lightness variations at hue 226 and 29% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #242B42
Design Use Cases for #242B42
Muted Accent Color
With 29% saturation, #242B42 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#242B42 at 20% 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
#242B42 sits in the blue range (hue 226). 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 #242B42 (hue 226) to its complement at hue 46. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 256. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #242b42, #423b24);
CSS Code for #242B42
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #242B42 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #242B42 across image editing and color design tools.
About Dark Blue (#242B42)
#242B42 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 36 red, 43 green, and 66 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 226 degrees with 29% saturation and 20% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #242B42 is 44/255 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 45% cyan, 35% magenta, 0% yellow, and 74% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #242B42 against white is 14.01:1 and against black is 1.50:1. 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 #423B24 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #242B42. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #243A42 and #2C2442, 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 #242B42
- 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 #242B42?
- #242B42 is Dark Blue, a blue color (colour) with RGB(36, 43, 66), HSL(226, 29%, 20%), and CMYK(45%, 35%, 0%, 74%). Its perceived brightness is 44/255.
- Is #242B42 accessible for text?
- Against white, #242B42 has a contrast ratio of 14.01:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.50:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #242B42?
- The complementary colour is #423B24 (hue 46). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #243A42 and #2C2442. The triadic palette adds #42242B and #2B4224 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #242B42 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #242b42; or rgb(36, 43, 66); or hsl(226, 29%, 20%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 226 29% 20%; 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.