What color is #040508?

#040508 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(4, 5, 8), and in HSL hsl(225, 33%, 2%).

Is #040508 accessible as text?

On white, #040508 has a contrast ratio of 20.38:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.03:1 (fails). For text placed on #040508, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #040508?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-950 (#030712).

What colors go well with #040508?

As a neutral, #040508 pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a dark surface or high-contrast base and let the accent carry the color.

Is #040508 the same as CSS black?

No — #040508 is not the CSS named color black, but black (#000000) is the closest CSS named color.

#040508 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #040508

Not just a swatch — here's how #040508 works with other colors. Named schemes with #040508 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #040508 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #1C1E22

Jet Black is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Jet Black.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #040508 Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #58223A

Jet Black plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #040508 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Jet Black sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #040508 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Jet Black opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #040508 Secondary #222324 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Jet Black is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Jet Black carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #040508 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 48/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 14/100

Very low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 82/100

Very high

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 13/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 79/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 4/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 3/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 75/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #040508

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #040508 with

Graphite Jet Black Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 20.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C1C7D9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #040307 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #040508 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #040508;
  --color-base-rgb: 4 5 8;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(11.5% 0.009 267.4);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E3E7F2;
  --color-200: #C9CFE4;
  --color-300: #A2ADCD;
  --color-400: #7E8BB4;
  --color-500: #5D6C97;
  --color-600: #4C5775;
  --color-700: #3A4155;
  --color-800: #292C38;
  --color-900: #1A1C23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  jet-black: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E3E7F2',
    200: '#C9CFE4',
    300: '#A2ADCD',
    400: '#7E8BB4',
    500: '#5D6C97',
    600: '#4C5775',
    700: '#3A4155',
    800: '#292C38',
    900: '#1A1C23',
  },
}

$base: #040508;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E3E7F2;
$base-200: #C9CFE4;
$base-300: #A2ADCD;
$base-400: #7E8BB4;
$base-500: #5D6C97;
$base-600: #4C5775;
$base-700: #3A4155;
$base-800: #292C38;
$base-900: #1A1C23;
$base-hover: #030305;
$base-subtle: #A1ABC7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#040508",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3E7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C9CFE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A2ADCD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7E8BB4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5D6C97",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4C5775",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3A4155",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292C38",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1C23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #040508

Color Lab

Pairs with #040508

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export