Obsidian #445055

Obsidian (#445055) is a grey neutral with an OKLCH hue of 225°, lightness 0.42 and chroma 0.017. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.

Color values

HEX#445055
RGBrgb(68, 80, 85)
HSLhsl(198, 11%, 30%)
HSVhsv(198, 20%, 33%)
CMYKcmyk(20%, 6%, 0%, 67%)
CIE Lablab(33.2 -3.5 -4.5)
OKLCHoklch(0.423 0.017 225)

How Obsidian behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Obsidian shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.1), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 8.32:1 and against black 2.52:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.

Palettes built from Obsidian

Tonal

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.

#97a1a5 · #717c81 · #445055 · #2d373c · #10191d · #000204

Analogous

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.

#437a79 · #286973 · #445055 · #15425f · #182f4e · #171d3b

Shifted

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.

#9ea4c0 · #7b83b4 · #646880 · #445055 · #003a4b · #001f2b

Contrast

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.

#c79078 · #5f7076 · #445055 · #173541 · #011a23 · #000307

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#f8f0ec · #a0acb1 · #6b6563 · #445055 · #2c383d · #030100

Bright Accent

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.

#edf3f5 · #c4cbcd · #445055 · #1e272a · #010609 · #f0783c

Gold Accent

The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.

#edf3f5 · #c4cbcd · #445055 · #1e272a · #010609 · #ebbd4d

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#ffeee6 · #cb9e8b · #8b5942 · #445055 · #512a19 · #00050b

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#ffeee6 · #cd9b9e · #806032 · #445055 · #52272b · #130700

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#feecf5 · #c69bb2 · #6d6933 · #445055 · #3b3809 · #040002

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#f8eefd · #b89fc4 · #8b5942 · #445055 · #273d1a · #0c0100

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#5E696E · #7A8488 · #969FA2 · #B4BBBE · #D2D8DA

Shades

#384347 · #2C363A · #21292D · #161E21 · #0C1215

Using Obsidian

Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.

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