Color #656A71 Color / Colour Code #656A71
This page shows the hex color code for color #656a71 (#656A71). The colour is a blue tone with 6% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #656A71 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#656A71 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 #656A71
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 215 and saturation at 6%. 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 #656A71
Lightness variations at hue 215 and 6% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #656A71
Design Use Cases for #656A71
Neutral Foundation Color
#656A71 has almost no saturation (6%), 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.
Primary Interface Color
At 42% lightness, #656A71 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
#656A71 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 #656A71 (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, #656a71, #726c65);
CSS Code for #656A71
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #656A71 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #656A71 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #656A71 (#656A71)
#656A71 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 101 red, 106 green, and 113 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 215 degrees with 6% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #656A71 is 105/255 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 11% cyan, 6% magenta, 0% yellow, and 56% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #656A71 against white is 5.45:1 and against black is 3.85:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 29% lightness.
The complementary colour #726C65 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #656A71. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #657072 and #666572, 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 #656A71
- 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 #656A71?
- #656A71 is Color #656A71, a blue color (colour) with RGB(101, 106, 113), HSL(215, 6%, 42%), and CMYK(11%, 6%, 0%, 56%). Its perceived brightness is 105/255.
- Is #656A71 accessible for text?
- Against white, #656A71 has a contrast ratio of 5.45:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.85:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #656A71?
- The complementary colour is #726C65 (hue 35). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #657072 and #666572. The triadic palette adds #72656A and #6A7265 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #656A71 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #656a71; or rgb(101, 106, 113); or hsl(215, 6%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 215 6% 42%; 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.