What color is #172539?

#172539 is a very dark, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Trapped Darkness. It belongs to the blue family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #172539?

The RGB value is 23, 37, 57: 23 red, 37 green and 57 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #172539?

The complementary color is #392B17, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #172539?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.36:1 and white text 15.44:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#172539 color

#172539 rgb(23, 37, 57)

Shades of blue

The hex color #172539 is a very dark, desaturated azure.

In the RGB color model it is made of 9% red, 14.5% green and 22.4% blue (23, 37, 57).

Its hue angle is 215°, with 43% saturation and 16% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 60% cyan, 35% magenta, 0% yellow and 78% black.

The closest named color is Trapped Darkness (#0E1D32), a difference of 2.6 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 15.44:1).

#172539 color codes

HEX	`#172539`
RGB	`rgb(23, 37, 57)`
RGB percent	`rgb(9%, 14.5%, 22.4%)`
HSL	`hsl(215, 43%, 16%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(215, 60%, 22%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(60%, 35%, 0%, 78%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(14.4, 1.06, -14.75)`
CIE LCH	`lch(14.4, 14.79, 274.1)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.753, 1.801, 4.125)`
Decimal	`1516857`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #172539, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #172539	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.36:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	15.44:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#172539 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	15.44:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.36:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #172539 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #172539; }
.text { color: #172539; }
.border { border: 2px solid #172539; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(23 37 57 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #172539, #1a1739); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Oxford Blue.

Questions

What color is #172539?: #172539 is a very dark, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Trapped Darkness. It belongs to the blue family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #172539?: The RGB value is 23, 37, 57: 23 red, 37 green and 57 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #172539?: The complementary color is #392B17, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #172539?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.36:1 and white text 15.44:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.