What color is #3B171B?

#3B171B is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Bruised Plum. It belongs to the red family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #3B171B?

The RGB value is 59, 23, 27: 59 red, 23 green and 27 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #3B171B?

The complementary color is #173B37, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #3B171B?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.32:1 and white text 15.86:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#3B171B color

#3B171B rgb(59, 23, 27)

Shades of red

The hex color #3B171B is a very dark, desaturated red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 23.1% red, 9% green and 10.6% blue (59, 23, 27).

Its hue angle is 353°, with 44% saturation and 16% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 61% magenta, 54% yellow and 77% black.

The closest named color is Bruised Plum (#3B1921), a difference of 2.4 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 15.86:1).

#3B171B color codes

HEX	`#3B171B`
RGB	`rgb(59, 23, 27)`
RGB percent	`rgb(23.1%, 9%, 10.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(353, 44%, 16%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(353, 61%, 23%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 61%, 54%, 77%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(13.36, 18.22, 5.77)`
CIE LCH	`lch(13.36, 19.12, 17.58)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.308, 1.622, 1.228)`
Decimal	`3872539`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #3B171B, 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 #3B171B	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.32:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	15.86:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#3B171B as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	15.86:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.32:1	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 #3B171B looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #3b171b; }
.text { color: #3b171b; }
.border { border: 2px solid #3b171b; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(59 23 27 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #3b171b, #3b2517); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Espresso.

Questions

What color is #3B171B?: #3B171B is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Bruised Plum. It belongs to the red family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #3B171B?: The RGB value is 59, 23, 27: 59 red, 23 green and 27 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #3B171B?: The complementary color is #173B37, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #3B171B?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.32:1 and white text 15.86:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.