#040273Deep Blue (#040273) is a very dark, saturated blue with an OKLCH hue of 266°, lightness 0.25 and chroma 0.171. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #040273 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(4, 2, 115) |
| HSL | hsl(241, 97%, 23%) |
| HSV | hsv(241, 98%, 45%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(97%, 98%, 0%, 55%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(11.3 43.1 -59.1) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.255 0.171 266) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Deep Blue shifts subtly: leans toward purple; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.6), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#0b066c — ΔE 1.6, shifts subtly: leans toward purple#080571 — ΔE 0.7, shifts subtly: leans toward purple#040273 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#030175 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Deep Blue in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 16.65:1 and against black 1.26:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#809ddf · #5676c1 · #2f4fa3 · #0d2685 · #040273 · #010017
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#004764 · #00335d · #040273 · #160050 · #150030 · #0e0018
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#c89dd7 · #688de4 · #9b4bb3 · #2f4fa6 · #4e2c59 · #040273
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#f5ba00 · #6b7ba0 · #455a8d · #313e5a · #040273 · #010130
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f9f1e0 · #a5b0c6 · #767165 · #2f394f · #040273 · #140d02
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#f7f1e6 · #d1cbbe · #a8a193 · #362e1c · #150c00 · #040273
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#c4debf · #c0c236 · #6f60a9 · #293626 · #040273 · #071218
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#fff0d2 · #f19653 · #6f7900 · #5a2b00 · #040273 · #0e1000
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffedeb · #fa8b82 · #008a27 · #00470f · #040273 · #260000
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ffecf2 · #f389b3 · #8f6b00 · #004438 · #040273 · #160d00
#1A368F · #3D5CAB · #6482C6 · #8DA7E1 · #B9CEFC
#030166 · #02005A · #02004E · #010043 · #010037
#051562 · #0C1D51 · #142140
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.