Powder Navy color code: #9AABC9

A powdery tint that keeps navy identity while staying very light.

Light Navy
#9AABC9

Powder Navy · rgb(154, 171, 201)

Every format for Powder Navy

HEX
#9AABC9
RGB
rgb(154, 171, 201)
HSL
hsl(218, 30%, 70%)
HSV
218°, 23%, 79%
CMYK
23%, 15%, 0%, 21%
Lightness
70% · light

Hue sits at 218°, which makes Powder Navy a slightly cool blue navy, with 30% saturation. In the Light Navy family it reads as a light option.

Text contrast on Powder Navy

Contrast ratios are calculated using the WCAG 2.1 relative luminance formula. Normal body text needs 4.5:1 and large text needs 3:1 to pass AA.

White text on Powder Navy

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

2.32:1 — below AA, decorative use only

Black text on Powder Navy

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

9.04:1 — AAA for normal text

Powder Navy text on white

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

2.32:1 — below AA, decorative use only

Accessibility notes

  • Pair Powder Navy with near-black text for the strongest reading experience: that combination gives 9.04:1.
  • It is too light to serve as body text on white, so keep it for fills and large display type.
  • Never rely on Powder Navy alone to communicate state. Add an icon, label or underline so the meaning survives for colour-blind users and in greyscale printing.
  • When placing text over a photograph tinted with Powder Navy, add a solid overlay first. Contrast measured against a flat colour does not hold over varying imagery.

Using Powder Navy in CSS and HTML

CSS example

:root {
  --powder-navy: #9AABC9;
}

.panel {
  background-color: var(--powder-navy);
  color: #0A1128;
  border: 1px solid #9AABC9;
}

HTML example

<div style="background-color: #9AABC9; color: #0A1128; padding: 1rem;">
  Powder Navy #9AABC9
</div>

Common uses

  • Card surfaces, badges, table striping and disabled states.
  • Light Navy palettes for brand systems that need a dependable cool anchor.
  • Print work where a deep blue is preferred to black, using the CMYK build 23%, 15%, 0%, 21%.
  • Data visualisation, as one step in a lightness-based navy scale.

Design recommendations

  • Build lighter and darker variants by changing only the lightness in hsl(218, 30%, 70%). Keeping hue fixed is what makes a scale look intentional.
  • Give Powder Navy at least one warm counterweight. A cool palette with no warm accent tends to read as cold rather than calm.
  • Saturation is moderate, which makes this shade forgiving across large areas and long reading sessions.

Complementary and matching colors

Each of these is derived from the hue, saturation and lightness of Powder Navy. Click a swatch to copy it.

Complementary #B8A17A
Split complement #B8837A
Warm accent #C9BD5E
Analogous cool #9CC3C9
Analogous warm #A29CC9
Triadic #B87A91

Similar navy shades

Periwinkle Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#8C9EDA
RGB
140, 158, 218
HSL
226, 51%, 70%
CMYK
36%, 28%, 0%, 15%

Mist Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#B3C0D6
RGB
179, 192, 214
HSL
218, 30%, 77%
CMYK
16%, 10%, 0%, 16%

Pale Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#7A8FB8
RGB
122, 143, 184
HSL
220, 30%, 60%
CMYK
34%, 22%, 0%, 28%

Sky Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#6C8CBF
RGB
108, 140, 191
HSL
217, 39%, 59%
CMYK
43%, 27%, 0%, 25%

Baby Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#C3CFE2
RGB
195, 207, 226
HSL
217, 35%, 83%
CMYK
14%, 8%, 0%, 11%

Frost Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#D6DEEA
RGB
214, 222, 234
HSL
216, 32%, 88%
CMYK
9%, 5%, 0%, 8%

Continue exploring

FAQs about Powder Navy

What is the Powder Navy color code?

The Powder Navy color code is #9AABC9 in HEX, rgb(154, 171, 201) in RGB and hsl(218, 30%, 70%) in HSL.

What is the RGB value of Powder Navy?

Powder Navy is rgb(154, 171, 201), meaning 154 units of red, 171 of green and 201 of blue on the 0 to 255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of Powder Navy?

In CMYK, Powder Navy converts to approximately 23%, 15%, 0%, 21%. Printed output will look slightly less saturated than the screen preview because CMYK covers a narrower gamut.

Does white text work on Powder Navy?

White text on Powder Navy gives a contrast ratio of 2.32:1, which is below AA, decorative use only.

Does black text work on Powder Navy?

Black text on Powder Navy gives a contrast ratio of 9.04:1, which is AAA for normal text.

Which colors go with Powder Navy?

Its direct complement is #B8A17A, and the warm accent #C9BD5E works well for calls to action. For a quieter scheme, pair it with the analogous blues listed above.

Is Powder Navy a light or dark navy?

At 70% lightness, Powder Navy is classed as a light navy in this collection.