What color is #51596C?

#51596C is a dark, grayish blue, closest to the named color Heavy Violet. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #51596C?

The RGB value is 81, 89, 108: 81 red, 89 green and 108 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #51596C?

The complementary color is #6C6451, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #51596C?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3:1 and white text 7.01:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#51596C color

#51596C rgb(81, 89, 108)

Shades of gray

The hex color #51596C is a dark, grayish blue.

In the RGB color model it is made of 31.8% red, 34.9% green and 42.4% blue (81, 89, 108).

Its hue angle is 222°, with 14% saturation and 37% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 25% cyan, 18% magenta, 0% yellow and 58% black.

The closest named color is Heavy Violet (#4F566C), a difference of 1.9 ΔE, which is barely visible.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 7.01:1).

#51596C color codes

HEX	`#51596C`
RGB	`rgb(81, 89, 108)`
RGB percent	`rgb(31.8%, 34.9%, 42.4%)`
HSL	`hsl(222, 14%, 37%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(222, 25%, 42%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(25%, 18%, 0%, 58%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(37.8, 1.53, -11.9)`
CIE LCH	`lch(37.8, 11.99, 277.35)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(9.672, 9.977, 15.601)`
Decimal	`5331308`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #51596C, 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 #51596C	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	3:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	7.01:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#51596C as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	7.01:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	3:1	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 #51596C looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #51596c; }
.text { color: #51596c; }
.border { border: 2px solid #51596c; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(81 89 108 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #51596c, #56516c); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Charcoal.

Questions

What color is #51596C?: #51596C is a dark, grayish blue, closest to the named color Heavy Violet. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #51596C?: The RGB value is 81, 89, 108: 81 red, 89 green and 108 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #51596C?: The complementary color is #6C6451, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #51596C?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3:1 and white text 7.01:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.