What color is #555966?

#555966 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 #555966?

The RGB value is 85, 89, 102: 85 red, 89 green and 102 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #555966?

The complementary color is #666255, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #555966?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3.01:1 and white text 6.98:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#555966 color

#555966 rgb(85, 89, 102)

Shades of gray

The hex color #555966 is a dark, grayish blue.

In the RGB color model it is made of 33.3% red, 34.9% green and 40% blue (85, 89, 102).

Its hue angle is 226°, with 9% saturation and 37% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 17% cyan, 13% magenta, 0% yellow and 60% 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 6.98:1).

#555966 color codes

HEX	`#555966`
RGB	`rgb(85, 89, 102)`
RGB percent	`rgb(33.3%, 34.9%, 40%)`
HSL	`hsl(226, 9%, 37%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(226, 17%, 40%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(17%, 13%, 0%, 60%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(37.91, 1.44, -7.99)`
CIE LCH	`lch(37.91, 8.12, 280.21)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(9.716, 10.035, 13.993)`
Decimal	`5593446`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #555966, 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 #555966	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	3.01:1	Fail	Fail	Pass
Sample text	6.98:1	Pass	Fail	Pass

#555966 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	6.98:1	Pass	Fail	Pass
Sample text	3.01:1	Fail	Fail	Pass

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 #555966 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #555966; }
.text { color: #555966; }
.border { border: 2px solid #555966; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(85 89 102 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #555966, #5a5566); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Dim Gray.

Questions

What color is #555966?: #555966 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 #555966?: The RGB value is 85, 89, 102: 85 red, 89 green and 102 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #555966?: The complementary color is #666255, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #555966?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3.01:1 and white text 6.98:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.