Color #396FBB Color / Colour Code #396FBB
This page shows the hex color code for color #396fbb (#396FBB). The colour is a blue tone with 53% saturation and 48% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #396FBB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#396FBB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 185, 215, and 245 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 215, 335, and 95 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #396FBB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 215 and saturation at 53%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 215 to 260 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 215 with its complement at 35 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 #396FBB
Lightness variations at hue 215 and 53% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #396FBB
Design Use Cases for #396FBB
Balanced UI Color
At 53% saturation, #396FBB strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Primary Interface Color
At 48% lightness, #396FBB 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
#396FBB sits in the blue range (hue 215). 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 #396FBB (hue 215) to its complement at hue 35. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 245. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #396fbb, #bb853a);
CSS Code for #396FBB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #396FBB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #396FBB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #396FBB (#396FBB)
#396FBB is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 57 red, 111 green, and 187 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.3:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 215 degrees with 53% saturation and 48% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #396FBB is 104/255 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 70% cyan, 41% magenta, 0% yellow, and 27% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #396FBB against white is 5.04:1 and against black is 4.17:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 34% lightness.
The complementary colour #BB853A creates maximum visual tension when paired with #396FBB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #3AB0BB and #443ABB, 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 #396FBB
- 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 #396FBB?
- #396FBB is Color #396FBB, a blue color (colour) with RGB(57, 111, 187), HSL(215, 53%, 48%), and CMYK(70%, 41%, 0%, 27%). Its perceived brightness is 104/255.
- Is #396FBB accessible for text?
- Against white, #396FBB has a contrast ratio of 5.04:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.17:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #396FBB?
- The complementary colour is #BB853A (hue 35). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #3AB0BB and #443ABB. The triadic palette adds #BB3A70 and #70BB3A for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #396FBB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #396fbb; or rgb(57, 111, 187); or hsl(215, 53%, 48%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 215 53% 48%; 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.