#003399Smalt (#003399) is a dark, saturated blue with an OKLCH hue of 262°, lightness 0.37 and chroma 0.173. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.
| HEX | #003399 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(0, 51, 153) |
| HSL | hsl(220, 100%, 30%) |
| HSV | hsv(220, 100%, 60%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(100%, 67%, 0%, 40%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(25.8 28.9 -59.1) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.371 0.173 262) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Smalt shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.8), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#133390 — ΔE 1.8, shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity#0a3496 — ΔE 0.7, is virtually unchanged#003399 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#00339b — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Smalt 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 10.86:1 and against black 1.93:1, 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.
#6f99e7 · #4471c8 · #1949a9 · #003399 · #000a41 · #000012
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.
#006a8d · #005489 · #003399 · #26177e · #2a005c · #220034
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.
#cba2df · #6694ea · #9c51bd · #6d4c7d · #003399 · #001c66
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.
#fab700 · #617db1 · #4e5e7c · #003399 · #082051 · #010924
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#faf1e0 · #96a2b8 · #5e574c · #003399 · #1e293e · #050200
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 · #d2cbbe · #a8a092 · #362c1b · #140b00 · #003399
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#fff0d5 · #cc981f · #735200 · #003399 · #382500 · #000012
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#fff0d5 · #e48648 · #5a5d00 · #003399 · #441c00 · #030300
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffedec · #eb7c7a · #046c00 · #003399 · #003400 · #1b0001
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ffecf3 · #e27baa · #735200 · #003399 · #003226 · #0d0500
#2855AF · #4B75C4 · #7095DA · #95B5EE · #BED5FF
#002985 · #002170 · #00185C · #000F4A · #00043D
#133986 · #213D74 · #2D4061
Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.