What color is #515561?

#515561 is a dark, grayish blue, closest to the named color Blackwater. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #515561?

The RGB value is 81, 85, 97: 81 red, 85 green and 97 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #515561?

The complementary color is #615D51, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #515561?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.82:1 and white text 7.44:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#515561 color

#515561 rgb(81, 85, 97)

Shades of gray

The hex color #515561 is a dark, grayish blue.

In the RGB color model it is made of 31.8% red, 33.3% green and 38% blue (81, 85, 97).

Its hue angle is 225°, with 9% saturation and 35% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 16% cyan, 12% magenta, 0% yellow and 62% black.

The closest named color is Blackwater (#545663), a difference of 1.4 ΔE, which is barely visible.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 7.44:1).

#515561 color codes

HEX	`#515561`
RGB	`rgb(81, 85, 97)`
RGB percent	`rgb(31.8%, 33.3%, 38%)`
HSL	`hsl(225, 9%, 35%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(225, 16%, 38%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(16%, 12%, 0%, 62%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(36.19, 1.21, -7.48)`
CIE LCH	`lch(36.19, 7.57, 279.22)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(8.799, 9.109, 12.602)`
Decimal	`5330273`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #515561, 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 #515561	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.82:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	7.44:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#515561 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	7.44:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.82:1	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 #515561 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #515561; }
.text { color: #515561; }
.border { border: 2px solid #515561; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(81 85 97 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #515561, #555161); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Charcoal.

Questions

What color is #515561?: #515561 is a dark, grayish blue, closest to the named color Blackwater. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #515561?: The RGB value is 81, 85, 97: 81 red, 85 green and 97 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #515561?: The complementary color is #615D51, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #515561?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.82:1 and white text 7.44:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.