#38537E
Closest named color: Light Navy Blue (#2E5A88). oklch(44.1% 0.079 259.4), rgb(56, 83, 126).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (7.75:1).
About this color
#38537E is a dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 44%, its chroma 0.079 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Navy Blue (#2E5A88), ΔE 0.024 away. White text reads best on it, at 7.75:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | dark (44%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.079) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Navy Blue (#2E5A88) |
| Black text | 2.70:1 |
| White text | 7.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38537E |
| RGB | rgb(56, 83, 126) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 38%, 36%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(44.1% 0.079 259.4) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #38537E | 7.75:1 | AAA | Lc -91.6 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #38537E | 2.70:1 | Fails | Lc 17.2 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #38537E text on white | 7.75:1 | AAA | Lc 86.8 | Fine for body text |
| #38537E text on black | 2.70:1 | Fails | Lc -15.3 | Dividers and decoration only |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 800.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6FA
oklch(97.2% 0.006 255.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E5EAF3
oklch(93.6% 0.013 262.4)
-
Step 200
200
#CFDAEA
oklch(88.5% 0.025 257.6)
-
Step 300
300
#AFC2DF
oklch(80.9% 0.046 258.8)
-
Step 400
400
#85A2CF
oklch(70.7% 0.074 259)
-
Step 500
500
#678AC2
oklch(63% 0.094 259.5)
-
Step 600
600
#4E73AF
oklch(55.5% 0.103 259.7)
-
Step 700
700
#3F6196
oklch(49.2% 0.094 259)
-
Step 800
800 (this color)
#38537E
oklch(44.1% 0.079 259.4)
-
Step 900
900
#2E4262
oklch(37.8% 0.061 259.5)
-
Step 950
950
#1B2739
oklch(27.1% 0.038 258.3)
#38537E with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #425680 | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #394F7D | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #115C62 | 0.070 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #525252 | 0.079 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38537E
#38537E
oklch(44.1% 0.079 259.4)
- #6A4D18
#6A4D18
oklch(44.1% 0.078 78.8)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #38537E, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Navy Blue #2E5A88 ΔE 0.024
- Dusk Blue #26538D ΔE 0.030
- YInMn Blue #415A77 ΔE 0.030
- Dusk #4E5481 ΔE 0.031
- Light Navy #155084 ΔE 0.035
- Denim Blue #3B5B92 ΔE 0.037
- Deep Sea Blue #015482 ΔE 0.038
- Twilight #4E518B ΔE 0.039
Use #38537E in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.