What color is #656E81?

#656E81 is a grayish blue, closest to the named color Ashen Whisper. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #656E81?

The RGB value is 101, 110, 129: 101 red, 110 green and 129 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #656E81?

The complementary color is #817865, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #656E81?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 4.1:1 and white text 5.12:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#656E81 color

#656E81 rgb(101, 110, 129)

Shades of gray

The hex color #656E81 is a grayish blue.

In the RGB color model it is made of 39.6% red, 43.1% green and 50.6% blue (101, 110, 129).

Its hue angle is 221°, with 12% saturation and 45% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 22% cyan, 15% magenta, 0% yellow and 49% black.

The closest named color is Ashen Whisper (#646B7A), a difference of 2 ΔE, which is barely visible.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 5.12:1).

#656E81 color codes

HEX	`#656E81`
RGB	`rgb(101, 110, 129)`
RGB percent	`rgb(39.6%, 43.1%, 50.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(221, 12%, 45%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(221, 22%, 51%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(22%, 15%, 0%, 49%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(46.32, 1.02, -11.62)`
CIE LCH	`lch(46.32, 11.67, 275.03)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(14.904, 15.503, 22.972)`
Decimal	`6647425`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #656E81, 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 #656E81	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	4.1:1	Fail	Fail	Pass
Sample text	5.12:1	Pass	Fail	Pass

#656E81 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	5.12:1	Pass	Fail	Pass
Sample text	4.1:1	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 #656E81 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #656e81; }
.text { color: #656e81; }
.border { border: 2px solid #656e81; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(101 110 129 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #656e81, #6a6581); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Space Gray.

Questions

What color is #656E81?: #656E81 is a grayish blue, closest to the named color Ashen Whisper. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #656E81?: The RGB value is 101, 110, 129: 101 red, 110 green and 129 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #656E81?: The complementary color is #817865, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #656E81?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 4.1:1 and white text 5.12:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.