Blue Whale

Also known as: Into the Night, Tangaroa, Petrol Slumber, Tahitian Pearl

As a deep take on blue, Blue Whale carries cool and professional energy that suits trust-driven interfaces and corporate branding. Match it with brown accents when the design calls for energy over calm. On white it reads clearly at 12.92:1 contrast — safe for body text under WCAG AA.

Blue Whale color codes

HEX
#1E3442
RGB
rgb(30, 52, 66)
RGBA
rgba(30, 52, 66, 1)
HSL
hsl(203, 38%, 19%)
HSV
hsv(203, 55%, 26%)
CMYK
cmyk(55%, 21%, 0%, 74%)
LAB
lab(20.4 -5.5 -11.7)
OKLCH
oklch(31.3% 0.038 237.6)

Color intelligence

sRGB safe

Displays accurately on every screen and translates well to print.

Temperature

CoolWarm

neutral, leaning cool

subtle blue undertone in this near-neutral

Nearest standard colors

  • CSS: midnightblue#191970 · ΔE 11.2
  • RAL 5008 — Grey blue#313C48 · ΔE 4.7 · approximate

RAL values are widely published approximations of the physical standard. For Pantone-adjacent workflows, match by eye against a physical fan deck — Pantone's values are proprietary and device-dependent, so we don't print lookups.

Where Blue Whale works

  • Web & UI: Dark enough for body text and icons on white backgrounds — it passes WCAG AA as-is.
  • Interiors: Strong for a whole room, excellent in doses: an accent wall, cabinetry, or a statement chair.
  • Fashion: Wears best as the statement piece — a top, scarf, or shoes — against neutral basics.
  • Branding: Sits in the trust register — a natural primary for finance, health, and B2B brands.
  • Web & UI: A supporting-cast color for UI: chart fills, tags, empty-state illustrations — not text.
  • Branding: A secondary brand color by nature: it supports a stronger primary and shines in illustration.

Copy as — every ecosystem

Tints, shades, and tones of Blue Whale

Tints (lighter)

Shades (darker)

Tones (muted)

Color harmonies

Palettes built from Blue Whale by rotating its hue in OKLCH space. Click any swatch to copy its hex code.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Split-complementary

Tetradic

Monochromatic

Contrast & accessibility

Aa — on white

contrast 12.92:1

AA passAAA passAA large pass

Aa — on black

contrast 1.63:1

AA failAAA failAA large fail

Best text color on a Blue Whale background: #ffffff

Palettes featuring Blue Whale

Blue Whale with its complement

Soft neighbors of Blue Whale

Blue Whale triad

Similar colors

Looking for maximum contrast instead? The complement of Blue Whale is closest to Cola.

Blue Whale FAQs

What color is Blue Whale?

Blue Whale is a dark blue with the hex code #1E3442. In HSL terms it has a hue of 203°, 38% saturation, and 19% lightness.

What is the hex code for Blue Whale?

The hex code for Blue Whale is #1E3442. In RGB it's rgb(30, 52, 66), and in CMYK it's cmyk(55%, 21%, 0%, 74%).

What colors go well with Blue Whale?

Blue Whale pairs naturally with brown tones from its complementary harmony, and with red accents from its split-complementary palette. Its own tints and shades always work as a monochrome scheme.

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