What color is #173C8A?

#173C8A is a dark, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(23, 60, 138), and in HSL hsl(221, 71%, 32%).

Is #173C8A accessible as text?

On white, #173C8A has a contrast ratio of 10.25:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 2.05:1 (fails). For text placed on #173C8A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #173C8A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-900 (#1C398E).

What colors go well with #173C8A?

#173C8A pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #8C6718. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #173C8A below.

Is #173C8A good for buttons?

#173C8A works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #173C8A — black text only reaches 2.05:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #173C8A the same as CSS darkslateblue?

No — #173C8A is not the CSS named color darkslateblue, but darkslateblue (#483D8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#173C8A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #173C8A

Not just a swatch — here's how #173C8A works with other colors. Named schemes with #173C8A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #173C8A Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #173C8A Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #3C61A9

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #173C8A Secondary #7F4536 Surface #E1DDC1 Accent #375246 Anchor #57223A

Classic 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #173C8A Surface #F6E5D8 Anchor #5A2144 Accent #E4C2CA Secondary #322B2F

Classic Blue sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #173C8A Secondary #5A6985 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Classic 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 Classic Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #173C8A 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 16/100

Cool

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

Softness 30/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 63/100

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 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 66/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 37/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 68/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 19/100

Very low

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

Print safety 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #173C8A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #173C8A with

Bondi Blue Indigo Olive Brown 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 10.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CBD6EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1A188C — 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 #173C8A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #173C8A;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 60 138;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(38.1% 0.137 262.7);
  --color-50: #F1F5FD;
  --color-100: #DBE5FA;
  --color-200: #B9CCF3;
  --color-300: #8AA7E5;
  --color-400: #5E83D4;
  --color-500: #3C63B9;
  --color-600: #35518D;
  --color-700: #2B3D64;
  --color-800: #1F2A42;
  --color-900: #151B28;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  classic-blue: {
    50: '#F1F5FD',
    100: '#DBE5FA',
    200: '#B9CCF3',
    300: '#8AA7E5',
    400: '#5E83D4',
    500: '#3C63B9',
    600: '#35518D',
    700: '#2B3D64',
    800: '#1F2A42',
    900: '#151B28',
  },
}

$base: #173C8A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F5FD;
$base-100: #DBE5FA;
$base-200: #B9CCF3;
$base-300: #8AA7E5;
$base-400: #5E83D4;
$base-500: #3C63B9;
$base-600: #35518D;
$base-700: #2B3D64;
$base-800: #1F2A42;
$base-900: #151B28;
$base-hover: #133070;
$base-subtle: #AFC1E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#173C8A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F5FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBE5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9CCF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AA7E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5E83D4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3C63B9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#35518D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B3D64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F2A42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151B28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #173C8A

Color Lab

Pairs with #173C8A

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export