Color #3A4E59 Color / Colour Code #3A4E59
This page shows the hex color code for color #3a4e59 (#3A4E59). The colour is a blue tone with 21% saturation and 29% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #3A4E59 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#3A4E59 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 171, 201, and 231 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 201, 321, and 81 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #3A4E59
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 201 and saturation at 21%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 201 to 246 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 201 with its complement at 21 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 #3A4E59
Lightness variations at hue 201 and 21% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #3A4E59
Design Use Cases for #3A4E59
Muted Accent Color
With 21% saturation, #3A4E59 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
#3A4E59 at 29% 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
#3A4E59 sits in the blue range (hue 201). 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 #3A4E59 (hue 201) to its complement at hue 21. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 231. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #3a4e59, #59453a);
CSS Code for #3A4E59
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #3A4E59 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #3A4E59 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #3A4E59 (#3A4E59)
#3A4E59 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 58 red, 78 green, and 89 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 201 degrees with 21% saturation and 29% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #3A4E59 is 73/255 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 35% cyan, 12% magenta, 0% yellow, and 65% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #3A4E59 against white is 8.70:1 and against black is 2.41:1. 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 #59453A creates maximum visual tension when paired with #3A4E59. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #3A5955 and #3A3F59, 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 #3A4E59
- 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 #3A4E59?
- #3A4E59 is Color #3A4E59, a blue color (colour) with RGB(58, 78, 89), HSL(201, 21%, 29%), and CMYK(35%, 12%, 0%, 65%). Its perceived brightness is 73/255.
- Is #3A4E59 accessible for text?
- Against white, #3A4E59 has a contrast ratio of 8.70:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.41:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #3A4E59?
- The complementary colour is #59453A (hue 21). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #3A5955 and #3A3F59. The triadic palette adds #593A4F and #4F593A for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #3A4E59 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #3a4e59; or rgb(58, 78, 89); or hsl(201, 21%, 29%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 201 21% 29%; 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.