Color #493E74 Color / Colour Code #493E74
This page shows the hex color code for color #493e74 (#493E74). The colour is a blue tone with 30% saturation and 35% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #493E74 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#493E74 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 222, 252, and 282 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 252, 12, and 132 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #493E74
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 252 and saturation at 30%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 252 to 297 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 252 with its complement at 72 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 #493E74
Lightness variations at hue 252 and 30% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #493E74
Design Use Cases for #493E74
Balanced UI Color
At 30% saturation, #493E74 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 35% lightness, #493E74 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
#493E74 sits in the blue range (hue 252). 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 #493E74 (hue 252) to its complement at hue 72. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 282. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #493e74, #69743e);
CSS Code for #493E74
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #493E74 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #493E74 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #493E74 (#493E74)
#493E74 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 73 red, 62 green, and 116 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 252 degrees with 30% saturation and 35% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #493E74 is 71/255 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 37% cyan, 47% magenta, 0% yellow, and 55% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #493E74 against white is 9.44:1 and against black is 2.22:1. 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 #69743E creates maximum visual tension when paired with #493E74. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #3E4F74 and #643E74, 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 #493E74
- 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 #493E74?
- #493E74 is Color #493E74, a blue color (colour) with RGB(73, 62, 116), HSL(252, 30%, 35%), and CMYK(37%, 47%, 0%, 55%). Its perceived brightness is 71/255.
- Is #493E74 accessible for text?
- Against white, #493E74 has a contrast ratio of 9.44:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.22:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #493E74?
- The complementary colour is #69743E (hue 72). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #3E4F74 and #643E74. The triadic palette adds #74493E and #3E7449 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #493E74 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #493e74; or rgb(73, 62, 116); or hsl(252, 30%, 35%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 252 30% 35%; 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.