What color is #253D4E?

#253D4E is a dark cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(37, 61, 78), and in HSL hsl(205, 36%, 23%).

Is #253D4E accessible as text?

On white, #253D4E has a contrast ratio of 11.31:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.86:1 (fails). For text placed on #253D4E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #253D4E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-700 (#394447).

What colors go well with #253D4E?

#253D4E pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #503726. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #253D4E below.

Is #253D4E good for buttons?

#253D4E works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #253D4E — black text only reaches 1.86:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #253D4E the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #253D4E is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) is the closest CSS named color.

#253D4E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #253D4E

Not just a swatch — here's how #253D4E works with other colors. Named schemes with #253D4E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253D4E Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #253D4E Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Charcoal keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #253D4E Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #475D6E

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253D4E Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 Anchor #57233C

Charcoal 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 #F6F4EF Accent #253D4E Secondary #596168 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Charcoal 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 Charcoal carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #253D4E 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 38/100

Cool

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

Softness 35/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 62/100

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 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 65/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 50/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #253D4E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #253D4E with

Myrtle Green Russian Violet Espresso 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 11.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CED9E2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #263050 — 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 #253D4E 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: #253D4E;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 61 78;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(34.8% 0.042 240.4);
  --color-50: #F4F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3ECF2;
  --color-200: #C8D9E5;
  --color-300: #A0BBCF;
  --color-400: #7B9EB7;
  --color-500: #5B809A;
  --color-600: #4A6577;
  --color-700: #394A56;
  --color-800: #283239;
  --color-900: #1A1F23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  charcoal: {
    50: '#F4F8FA',
    100: '#E3ECF2',
    200: '#C8D9E5',
    300: '#A0BBCF',
    400: '#7B9EB7',
    500: '#5B809A',
    600: '#4A6577',
    700: '#394A56',
    800: '#283239',
    900: '#1A1F23',
  },
}

$base: #253D4E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F8FA;
$base-100: #E3ECF2;
$base-200: #C8D9E5;
$base-300: #A0BBCF;
$base-400: #7B9EB7;
$base-500: #5B809A;
$base-600: #4A6577;
$base-700: #394A56;
$base-800: #283239;
$base-900: #1A1F23;
$base-hover: #1E3240;
$base-subtle: #B4C7D4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#253D4E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3ECF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D9E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0BBCF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7B9EB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5B809A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A6577",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394A56",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283239",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1F23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}