What color is #172828?

#172828 is a very dark, desaturated cyan, closest to the named color Swamp Thing. It belongs to the black family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #172828?

The RGB value is 23, 40, 40: 23 red, 40 green and 40 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #172828?

The complementary color is #281717, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #172828?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.37:1 and white text 15.32:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#172828 color

#172828 rgb(23, 40, 40)

Shades of black

The hex color #172828 is a very dark, desaturated cyan.

In the RGB color model it is made of 9% red, 15.7% green and 15.7% blue (23, 40, 40).

Its hue angle is 180°, with 27% saturation and 12% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 42% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Swamp Thing (#162825), a difference of 2.1 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 15.32:1).

#172828 color codes

HEX	`#172828`
RGB	`rgb(23, 40, 40)`
RGB percent	`rgb(9%, 15.7%, 15.7%)`
HSL	`hsl(180, 27%, 12%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(180, 43%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(42%, 0%, 0%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(14.7, -7.03, -2.25)`
CIE LCH	`lch(14.7, 7.38, 197.75)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.495, 1.853, 2.286)`
Decimal	`1517608`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #172828, 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 #172828	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.37:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	15.32:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#172828 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	15.32:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.37:1	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 #172828 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #172828; }
.text { color: #172828; }
.border { border: 2px solid #172828; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(23 40 40 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #172828, #172028); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Gunmetal.

Questions

What color is #172828?: #172828 is a very dark, desaturated cyan, closest to the named color Swamp Thing. It belongs to the black family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #172828?: The RGB value is 23, 40, 40: 23 red, 40 green and 40 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #172828?: The complementary color is #281717, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #172828?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.37:1 and white text 15.32:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.