Color #424A4E Color / Colour Code #424A4E
This page shows the hex color code for color #424a4e (#424A4E). The colour is a blue tone with 8% saturation and 28% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #424A4E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#424A4E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 170, 200, and 230 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 200, 320, and 80 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #424A4E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 200 and saturation at 8%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 200 to 245 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 200 with its complement at 20 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 #424A4E
Lightness variations at hue 200 and 8% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #424A4E
Design Use Cases for #424A4E
Neutral Foundation Color
#424A4E has almost no saturation (8%), making it an excellent neutral. Use it for page backgrounds, card surfaces, divider lines, and any element that should recede visually. Neutrals like this form the foundation of every professional design system.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#424A4E at 28% 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
#424A4E sits in the blue range (hue 200). 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 #424A4E (hue 200) to its complement at hue 20. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 230. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #424a4e, #4d4542);
CSS Code for #424A4E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #424A4E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #424A4E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #424A4E (#424A4E)
#424A4E is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 66 red, 74 green, and 78 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 200 degrees with 8% saturation and 28% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #424A4E is 72/255 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 15% cyan, 5% magenta, 0% yellow, and 69% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #424A4E against white is 9.05:1 and against black is 2.32:1. 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 #4D4542 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #424A4E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #424D4B and #42444D, 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 #424A4E
- 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 #424A4E?
- #424A4E is Color #424A4E, a blue color (colour) with RGB(66, 74, 78), HSL(200, 8%, 28%), and CMYK(15%, 5%, 0%, 69%). Its perceived brightness is 72/255.
- Is #424A4E accessible for text?
- Against white, #424A4E has a contrast ratio of 9.05:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.32:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #424A4E?
- The complementary colour is #4D4542 (hue 20). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #424D4B and #42444D. The triadic palette adds #4D4249 and #494D42 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #424A4E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #424a4e; or rgb(66, 74, 78); or hsl(200, 8%, 28%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 200 8% 28%; 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.