What color is #51657B?

#51657B is a medium, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(81, 101, 123), and in HSL hsl(211, 21%, 40%).

Is #51657B accessible as text?

On white, #51657B has a contrast ratio of 6.00:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.50:1 (fails). For text placed on #51657B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #51657B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-600 (#4B585B).

What colors go well with #51657B?

#51657B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #7B6751. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #51657B below.

Is #51657B good for buttons?

#51657B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #51657B — black text only reaches 3.50:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #51657B the same as CSS dimgray?

No — #51657B is not the CSS named color dimgray, but dimgray (#696969) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#51657B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #51657B

Not just a swatch — here's how #51657B works with other colors. Named schemes with #51657B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #51657B Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Dim Gray 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 #51657B Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Dim Gray 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 #51657B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #75889D

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #51657B Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

Dim Gray 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 #51657B Secondary #858D95 Support #959386 Ink #16140F

Dim Gray 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 Dim Gray carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #51657B 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

Neutral

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

Softness 49/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 48/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 43/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 53/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 67/100

High

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

Surface fit 40/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #51657B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #51657B with

Cadet Blue Ultra Violet Raw Umber Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

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

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 6.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DCE0E5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #51577B — 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 #51657B 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: #51657B;
  --color-base-rgb: 81 101 123;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(49.9% 0.043 251.1);
  --color-50: #F6F7F9;
  --color-100: #E6EAEF;
  --color-200: #CED6DF;
  --color-300: #AAB7C5;
  --color-400: #8898AA;
  --color-500: #687A8D;
  --color-600: #54606E;
  --color-700: #3F4750;
  --color-800: #2B3035;
  --color-900: #1C1F21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dim-gray: {
    50: '#F6F7F9',
    100: '#E6EAEF',
    200: '#CED6DF',
    300: '#AAB7C5',
    400: '#8898AA',
    500: '#687A8D',
    600: '#54606E',
    700: '#3F4750',
    800: '#2B3035',
    900: '#1C1F21',
  },
}

$base: #51657B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F7F9;
$base-100: #E6EAEF;
$base-200: #CED6DF;
$base-300: #AAB7C5;
$base-400: #8898AA;
$base-500: #687A8D;
$base-600: #54606E;
$base-700: #3F4750;
$base-800: #2B3035;
$base-900: #1C1F21;
$base-hover: #405163;
$base-subtle: #CAD1D8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#51657B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EAEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED6DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAB7C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8898AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#687A8D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#54606E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4750",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3035",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1F21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #51657B

Color Lab

Pairs with #51657B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export