What color is #173C9D?

#173C9D is a dark, moderate blue, closest to the named color Smalt. It belongs to the blue family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #173C9D?

The RGB value is 23, 60, 157: 23 red, 60 green and 157 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #173C9D?

The complementary color is #9D7817, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #173C9D?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.17:1 and white text 9.68:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#173C9D color

#173C9D rgb(23, 60, 157)

Shades of blue

The hex color #173C9D is a dark, moderate blue.

In the RGB color model it is made of 9% red, 23.5% green and 61.6% blue (23, 60, 157).

Its hue angle is 223°, with 74% saturation and 35% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 85% cyan, 62% magenta, 0% yellow and 38% black.

The closest named color is Smalt (#003399), a difference of 2.7 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 9.68:1).

#173C9D color codes

HEX	`#173C9D`
RGB	`rgb(23, 60, 157)`
RGB percent	`rgb(9%, 23.5%, 61.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(223, 74%, 35%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(223, 85%, 62%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(85%, 62%, 0%, 38%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(29.02, 25.54, -56.17)`
CIE LCH	`lch(29.02, 61.7, 294.45)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(8.053, 5.847, 32.596)`
Decimal	`1522845`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #173C9D, 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 #173C9D	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.17:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	9.68:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#173C9D as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	9.68:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.17:1	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 #173C9D looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #173c9d; }
.text { color: #173c9d; }
.border { border: 2px solid #173c9d; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(23 60 157 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #173c9d, #35179d); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #173C9D?: #173C9D is a dark, moderate blue, closest to the named color Smalt. It belongs to the blue family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #173C9D?: The RGB value is 23, 60, 157: 23 red, 60 green and 157 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #173C9D?: The complementary color is #9D7817, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #173C9D?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.17:1 and white text 9.68:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.