Dark blue

#2a178e

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for dark blue, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

This is Dark blue, a strong blue at 250 degrees. Deep blues like this anchor serious, established brands. It pairs with warm neutrals for balance, or with a brighter accent for contrast.

Dark blue color values

Every conversion for #2a178e, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#2a178e
RGB42, 23, 142
HSL250, 72%, 32%
HSV250, 84%, 56%
CMYK70%, 84%, 0%, 44%
Lab20.27, 44.31, -61.31
XYZ6.14, 3.06, 25.86
Decimal2758542
Web safe#330099
Pantone2738 C
Pantone2738 CHex#2a178eRgb42 23 142Cmyk70 84 0 44Lab20 44 -61Darker#100935Deep#1a0e58Lighter#4229c3

Shades of dark blue

Tints of dark blue

Colors that go with dark blue

Dark blue in print

The cmyk build is well inside gamut, so what you see on screen is close to what prints. The cmyk build is 70, 84, 0, 44.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #2a178e on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C
70 84 0 44
Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.
Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U
68 81 4 50
The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color is saturated enough to sit near the edge of cmyk gamut, so expect a small drop in punch on paper and proof it before a long run.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or read rgb vs cmyk for print and what the k in cmyk means.

Dark blue in css

Copy #2a178e straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #2a178e; }
.text { color: #2a178e; }
.border { border: 2px solid #2a178e; }

How dark blue looks on light and dark

Dark blue and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #2a178e against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Textwhite text on this color
13.03:1
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Textblack text on this color
1.61:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail

Use white text on this color for readable body copy. To test #2a178e against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through our contrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Dark blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #2a178e sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Your nameFounderhello@brand.comBusiness card
Sticker
Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around dark blue? Pull matching colors from any photo with the color palette generator, or check a design for print with the rgb to cmyk converter.

Turn dark blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #2a178e and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from dark blue, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

The figures for #2a178e come from standard color math, shown so you can check them. We convert from sRGB to each space with the standard formulas, so the codes match what design tools show. The uncoated cmyk build carries more ink than the coated one, which is what a printer would compensate for when the same color runs on a rougher stock. The Pantone figure is the nearest match in our reference set by perceptual distance and it is an approximation, not an exact spot color.