Cobalt Color Code: #1E488F, RGB, HSL & CMYK

Cobalt color values

HEX #1E488F

RGB rgb(30, 72, 143)

HSL hsl(218, 65%, 34%)

HSV 218, 79%, 56%

HWB hwb(218 12% 44%)

CMYK 79%, 50%, 0%, 44%

Decimal 1984655

34%HSL lightness (medium-dark)

65%HSL saturation (rich)

218°Hue angle (azure)

0.069Relative luminance

CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.

What is Cobalt?

“Cobalt” is a crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey, in which participants typed names for colors they were shown. It is a popular everyday label rather than an official standard.

Its hue angle of 218° places it in the azure part of the color wheel, with 65% saturation (rich) and 34% lightness (medium-dark). It is a cool color.

Compared with the other blue colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 22% of them and more saturated than 33% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.069, which makes it a dark color. That is below the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so white text has the advantage.

Cobalt counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 34% and its relative luminance is 0.069. White text reads comfortably on it (8.82:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Cobalt

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Cobalt
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	8.82:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Black text	Sample text	2.37:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail

Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.

Colors that go with Cobalt

Complementary color

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.

≈ Medium Brown#8F651E

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.

≈ Deep Aqua#1E818F ≈ Royal#2C1E8F

Triadic colors

A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.

≈ Wine#8F1E48 ≈ Dark Grass Green#488F1E

Split-complementary colors

Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.

≈ Red Brown#8F2C1E ≈ Swamp Green#818F1E

Tetradic colors

A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.

≈ Rebecca Purple#651E8F ≈ Medium Brown#8F651E ≈ Dark Grass Green#488F1E

Monochromatic variants

Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.

#050D19#050D19

#122A54#122A54

#1E488F#1E488F

#2A66CA#2A66CA

#5F8EDD#5F8EDD

A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.

Tints and shades of Cobalt

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.

Dusk Blue#26538D Twilight Blue#0A437A Twilight#4E518B Denim Blue#3B5B92 Dark Slate Blue#483D8B Light Navy#155084 Blueberry#464196 Mid Blue#276AB3

Where to use Cobalt

Button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (8.82:1 contrast)
Charts and dashboards
Links, buttons and primary interface accents
Corporate, finance and software branding
Headers and navigation bars

Use Cobalt in CSS

:root {
  --color-cobalt: #1E488F;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-cobalt);
  background-color: #1E488F;
  border: 2px solid #1E488F;
}

Questions about Cobalt

What is the HEX code for Cobalt?

Cobalt is #1E488F.

What is the RGB value of Cobalt?

The RGB value of Cobalt is 30, 72, 143: 30 red, 72 green and 143 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(30, 72, 143) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Cobalt?

The HSL value of Cobalt is 218°, 65%, 34% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(218, 65%, 34%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Cobalt?

A standard conversion gives about C 79%, M 50%, Y 0%, K 44%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Cobalt a light or dark color?

Cobalt counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 34% and its relative luminance is 0.069. White text reads comfortably on it (8.82:1 contrast).

How does Cobalt look with white text?

White text on Cobalt has a contrast ratio of 8.82:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

How does Cobalt look with black text?

Black text on Cobalt has a contrast ratio of 2.37:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

What colors go well with Cobalt?

Medium Brown is its complementary color, and Deep Aqua sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.

Where can Cobalt be used?

It suits button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (8.82:1 contrast); charts and dashboards; links, buttons and primary interface accents.

How do I use Cobalt in CSS?

Use color: #1E488F; for text, background-color: #1E488F; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-cobalt: #1E488F; and reuse it with var(--color-cobalt).

About this color page

Crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey (CC0). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.

Cobalt Color Code: #1E488F