French Blue #436BAD
French Blue is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue with hex code #436BAD and RGB rgb(67, 107, 173).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (5.32:1).
About this color
#436BAD is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 53%, its chroma 0.114 and its hue 260°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color French Blue. White text reads best on it, at 5.32:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (53%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.114) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | French Blue |
| Black text | 3.94:1 |
| White text | 5.32:1 |
Colors that go with French Blue
Matches found by rotating French Blue around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with French Blue
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of French Blue, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to French Blue, with their ΔE distance.
- Mid Blue #276AB3 ΔE 0.026
- Flat Blue #3C73A8 ΔE 0.026
- Muted Blue #3B719F ΔE 0.032
- Windows Blue #3778BF ΔE 0.041
- Dull Blue #49759C ΔE 0.045
- Dusky Blue #475F94 ΔE 0.047
- Nice Blue #107AB0 ΔE 0.048
- Ocean Blue #03719C ΔE 0.052
More about French Blue
How to make French Blue
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 4 parts blue
- 2 parts white
- 1 part red
Recipe result: #416EAF, a difference of ΔE 0.009 from French Blue. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for French Blue in every format
| HEX | #436BAD |
| RGB | rgb(67, 107, 173) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 44%, 47%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(53% 0.114 259.9) |
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 #436BAD | 5.32:1 | AA | Lc -81.6 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #436BAD | 3.94:1 | AA large text | Lc 27.8 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #436BAD text on white | 5.32:1 | AA | Lc 76.3 | Fine for body text |
| #436BAD text on black | 3.94:1 | AA large text | Lc -25.4 | Dividers and decoration only |
Shades and tints of French Blue
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 600.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6FA
oklch(97.2% 0.006 255.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E4EAF4
oklch(93.5% 0.015 260.7)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDAEC
oklch(88.5% 0.028 258.4)
-
Step 300
300
#AEC2E2
oklch(81% 0.05 259.8)
-
Step 400
400
#83A2D4
oklch(70.8% 0.081 259.8)
-
Step 500
500
#638AC9
oklch(63.1% 0.105 259.7)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#436BAD
oklch(53% 0.114 259.9)
-
Step 700
700
#3B609C
oklch(49.1% 0.106 259.6)
-
Step 800
800
#314F7F
oklch(42.8% 0.088 259.4)
-
Step 900
900
#2C4266
oklch(37.9% 0.068 259.9)
-
Step 950
950
#1A273C
oklch(27.2% 0.043 259.7)
French Blue 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) | #4F70B0 | 0.021 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #4067AC | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #007A84 | 0.097 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #6B6B6B | 0.114 |
Use French Blue 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.