What color is #172840?

#172840 is a very dark, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Eternal Darkness. It belongs to the blue family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #172840?

The RGB value is 23, 40, 64: 23 red, 40 green and 64 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #172840?

The complementary color is #402F17, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #172840?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.41:1 and white text 14.85:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#172840 color

#172840 rgb(23, 40, 64)

Shades of blue

The hex color #172840 is a very dark, desaturated azure.

In the RGB color model it is made of 9% red, 15.7% green and 25.1% blue (23, 40, 64).

Its hue angle is 215°, with 47% saturation and 17% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 64% cyan, 38% magenta, 0% yellow and 75% black.

The closest named color is Eternal Darkness (#1C2841), a difference of 2.1 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 14.85:1).

#172840 color codes

HEX	`#172840`
RGB	`rgb(23, 40, 64)`
RGB percent	`rgb(9%, 15.7%, 25.1%)`
HSL	`hsl(215, 47%, 17%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(215, 64%, 25%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(64%, 38%, 0%, 75%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(15.85, 1.61, -17.38)`
CIE LCH	`lch(15.85, 17.45, 275.29)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.037, 2.07, 5.142)`
Decimal	`1517632`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #172840, 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 #172840	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.41:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	14.85:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#172840 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	14.85:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.41:1	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 #172840 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #172840; }
.text { color: #172840; }
.border { border: 2px solid #172840; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(23 40 64 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #172840, #1a1740); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Oxford Blue.

Questions

What color is #172840?: #172840 is a very dark, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Eternal Darkness. It belongs to the blue family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #172840?: The RGB value is 23, 40, 64: 23 red, 40 green and 64 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #172840?: The complementary color is #402F17, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #172840?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.41:1 and white text 14.85:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.