Slate blue

#686ca0

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

This is Slate blue, a muted blue at 236 degrees. A mid blue this balanced is a workhorse for corporate identity. Warm oranges and ambers opposite it add energy and grey keeps it professional.

Slate blue color values

Every conversion for #686ca0, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#686ca0

RGB104, 108, 160

HSL236, 23%, 52%

HSV236, 35%, 63%

CMYK35%, 32%, 0%, 37%

Lab47.24, 11.39, -28.57

XYZ17.42, 16.21, 35.47

Decimal6843552

Web safe#666699

Pantone660 C

Shades of slate blue

#5d6194 #545785 #4b4e77 #424569 #393b5a #30324c #27283e #1e1f2f #151621 #0c0c13

Tints of slate blue

#767aa9 #8487b2 #9295ba #a0a3c3 #aeb0cc #bcbed5 #cacbde #d8d9e6 #e6e7ef #f4f4f8

Colors that go with slate blue

Complementary#a09c68 Analogous#6888a0 Analogous#8068a0 Triadic#a0686c Triadic#6ca068 Split complementary#a08068 Split complementary#88a068

Slate blue in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 35, 32, 0, 37.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #686ca0 on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

35 32 0 37

Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

36 33 4 43

The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color converts to cmyk comfortably and should hold on press.

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

Slate blue in css

Copy #686ca0 straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #686ca0; }
.text { color: #686ca0; }
.border { border: 2px solid #686ca0; }

How slate blue looks on light and dark

Sample text on black

Sample text on white

Text on this color

Slate blue and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #686ca0 against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use white text on this color for readable body copy. To test #686ca0 against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through our contrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Slate blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #686ca0 sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Business card

Sticker

Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around slate 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 slate blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #686ca0 and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Arches Signature stripes Gem Shingles

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

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

Here is how the numbers for #686ca0 are worked out. 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. For Pantone we return the nearest reference by perceptual distance, which gets you close but is not a substitute for a physical swatch book.