Royal Blue #4169E1
Royal Blue is a medium-dark, vivid blue with hex code #4169E1 and RGB rgb(65, 105, 225).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (4.84:1).
About this color
#4169E1 is a medium-dark, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 56%, its chroma 0.188 and its hue 266°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Royal Blue. White text reads best on it, at 4.84:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (56%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.188) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Royal Blue |
| Black text | 4.33:1 |
| White text | 4.84:1 |
Colors that go with Royal Blue
Matches found by rotating Royal 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 Royal Blue
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Royal Blue, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Royal Blue, with their ΔE distance.
- Neon Blue #4361EE ΔE 0.028
- Cerulean Blue #056EEE ΔE 0.036
- Warm Blue #4B57DB ΔE 0.042
- Azul #1D5DEC ΔE 0.047
- Dark Periwinkle #665FD1 ΔE 0.052
- Bright Blue #0165FC ΔE 0.054
- Clear Blue #247AFD ΔE 0.057
- Slate Blue #6A5ACD ΔE 0.064
More about Royal Blue
How to make Royal 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.
- 2 parts blue
- 1 part white
Recipe result: #3775CE, a difference of ΔE 0.046 from Royal Blue. That is close; add a little more of one paint to match.
Codes for Royal Blue in every format
| HEX | #4169E1 |
| RGB | rgb(65, 105, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 73%, 57%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(56% 0.188 266.4) |
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 #4169E1 | 4.84:1 | AA | Lc -78.6 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #4169E1 | 4.33:1 | AA large text | Lc 30.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #4169E1 text on white | 4.84:1 | AA | Lc 73.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #4169E1 text on black | 4.33:1 | AA large text | Lc -28.5 | Dividers and decoration only |
Shades and tints of Royal 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
#F2F5FD
oklch(97% 0.011 269.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAFB
oklch(93.6% 0.025 265.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CBD9F9
oklch(88.5% 0.047 266.7)
-
Step 300
300
#A7C0F8
oklch(80.9% 0.084 265.9)
-
Step 400
400
#799DF5
oklch(70.7% 0.135 266.2)
-
Step 500
500
#5981F1
oklch(63% 0.174 266.7)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#4169E1
oklch(56% 0.188 266.4)
-
Step 700
700
#3255C2
oklch(49% 0.175 266.4)
-
Step 800
800
#2A479D
oklch(42.8% 0.144 266.3)
-
Step 900
900
#263C7D
oklch(37.7% 0.114 266.8)
-
Step 950
950
#162449
oklch(27% 0.071 266.2)
Royal 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) | #0879E5 | 0.045 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #006ADF | 0.035 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00869B | 0.151 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #717171 | 0.189 |
Use Royal 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.