What color is #040C81?

#040C81 is a dark, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(4, 12, 129), and in HSL hsl(236, 94%, 26%).

Is #040C81 accessible as text?

On white, #040C81 has a contrast ratio of 15.28:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.37:1 (fails). For text placed on #040C81, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #040C81?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is violet-950 (#2F0D68).

What colors go well with #040C81?

#040C81 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #817804. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #040C81 below.

Is #040C81 good for buttons?

#040C81 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #040C81 — black text only reaches 1.37:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #040C81 the same as CSS navy?

No — #040C81 is not the CSS named color navy, but navy (#000080) is the closest CSS named color.

#040C81 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #040C81

Not just a swatch — here's how #040C81 works with other colors. Named schemes with #040C81 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #040C81 Anchor #141210 Accent #DD965A Secondary #242933 Surface #F4ECE3

Phthalo Blue carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #040C81 Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #100041

Phthalo Blue adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Phthalo Blue.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #040C81 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #040C81 Secondary #7F4536 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #58223A

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #040C81 Secondary #3D4D71 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Phthalo Blue 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 Phthalo Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #040C81 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 9/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 20/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 76/100

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 19/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 70/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 70/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 33/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 22/100

Low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 67/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #040C81

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #040C81 with

Lapis Lazuli Indigo Dark Olive Green Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 15.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C0C3F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #250481 — 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 #040C81 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: #040C81;
  --color-base-rgb: 4 12 129;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(28.4% 0.181 265.3);
  --color-50: #F0F1FE;
  --color-100: #D8DAFD;
  --color-200: #B1B6FC;
  --color-300: #7B83F4;
  --color-400: #4B56E7;
  --color-500: #2833CD;
  --color-600: #262E9B;
  --color-700: #21276D;
  --color-800: #1A1D47;
  --color-900: #12142B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  phthalo-blue: {
    50: '#F0F1FE',
    100: '#D8DAFD',
    200: '#B1B6FC',
    300: '#7B83F4',
    400: '#4B56E7',
    500: '#2833CD',
    600: '#262E9B',
    700: '#21276D',
    800: '#1A1D47',
    900: '#12142B',
  },
}

$base: #040C81;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F0F1FE;
$base-100: #D8DAFD;
$base-200: #B1B6FC;
$base-300: #7B83F4;
$base-400: #4B56E7;
$base-500: #2833CD;
$base-600: #262E9B;
$base-700: #21276D;
$base-800: #1A1D47;
$base-900: #12142B;
$base-hover: #030A67;
$base-subtle: #9EA3EF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#040C81",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0F1FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8DAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B1B6FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#7B83F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#4B56E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#2833CD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#262E9B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#21276D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1A1D47",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#12142B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #040C81

Color Lab

Pairs with #040C81

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export