Color #42489D Color / Colour Code #42489D
This page shows the hex color code for color #42489d (#42489D). The colour is a blue tone with 41% saturation and 44% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #42489D against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#42489D paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 206, 236, and 266 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 236, 356, and 116 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #42489D
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 236 and saturation at 41%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 236 to 281 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 236 with its complement at 56 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 #42489D
Lightness variations at hue 236 and 41% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #42489D
Design Use Cases for #42489D
Balanced UI Color
At 41% saturation, #42489D 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 44% lightness, #42489D 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
#42489D sits in the blue range (hue 236). 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 #42489D (hue 236) to its complement at hue 56. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 266. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #42489d, #9e9842);
CSS Code for #42489D
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #42489D based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #42489D across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #42489D (#42489D)
#42489D is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 66 red, 72 green, and 157 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.4:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 236 degrees with 41% saturation and 44% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #42489D is 80/255 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 58% cyan, 54% magenta, 0% yellow, and 38% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #42489D against white is 7.94:1 and against black is 2.65:1. 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 #9E9842 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #42489D. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #42769E and #6A429E, 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 #42489D
- 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 #42489D?
- #42489D is Color #42489D, a blue color (colour) with RGB(66, 72, 157), HSL(236, 41%, 44%), and CMYK(58%, 54%, 0%, 38%). Its perceived brightness is 80/255.
- Is #42489D accessible for text?
- Against white, #42489D has a contrast ratio of 7.94:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.65:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #42489D?
- The complementary colour is #9E9842 (hue 56). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #42769E and #6A429E. The triadic palette adds #9E4248 and #489E42 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #42489D in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #42489d; or rgb(66, 72, 157); or hsl(236, 41%, 44%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 236 41% 44%; 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.