Soft Navy color code: #4C6EA8

A gentle navy for secondary buttons and hover states.

Light Navy
#4C6EA8

Soft Navy · rgb(76, 110, 168)

Every format for Soft Navy

HEX
#4C6EA8
RGB
rgb(76, 110, 168)
HSL
hsl(218, 38%, 48%)
HSV
218°, 55%, 66%
CMYK
55%, 35%, 0%, 34%
Lightness
48% · mid-tone

Hue sits at 218°, which makes Soft Navy a slightly cool blue navy, with 38% saturation. In the Light Navy family it reads as a mid-tone option.

Text contrast on Soft 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 Soft Navy

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

5.12:1 — AA for normal text

Black text on Soft Navy

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4.1:1 — AA for large text only

Soft Navy text on white

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

5.12:1 — AA for normal text

Accessibility notes

  • Pair Soft Navy with white text for the strongest reading experience: that combination gives 5.12:1.
  • Used as a text colour on white, it clears the 3:1 bar for large headings.
  • Never rely on Soft 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 Soft Navy, add a solid overlay first. Contrast measured against a flat colour does not hold over varying imagery.

Using Soft Navy in CSS and HTML

CSS example

:root {
  --soft-navy: #4C6EA8;
}

.panel {
  background-color: var(--soft-navy);
  color: #FFFFFF;
  border: 1px solid #4C6EA8;
}

HTML example

<div style="background-color: #4C6EA8; color: #FFFFFF; padding: 1rem;">
  Soft Navy #4C6EA8
</div>

Common uses

  • Primary buttons, active navigation states and chart series.
  • 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 55%, 35%, 0%, 34%.
  • 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, 38%, 48%). Keeping hue fixed is what makes a scale look intentional.
  • Give Soft 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 Soft Navy. Click a swatch to copy it.

Complementary #C0A372
Split complement #C07D72
Warm accent #D2C456
Analogous cool #95C8D0
Analogous warm #9D95D0
Triadic #C0728F

Similar navy shades

Light Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#3A5BA0
RGB
58, 91, 160
HSL
221, 47%, 43%
CMYK
64%, 43%, 0%, 37%

Sky Navy

Light Navy

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

Pale Navy

Light Navy

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

Powder Navy

Light Navy

HEX
#9AABC9
RGB
154, 171, 201
HSL
218, 30%, 70%
CMYK
23%, 15%, 0%, 21%

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%

Continue exploring

FAQs about Soft Navy

What is the Soft Navy color code?

The Soft Navy color code is #4C6EA8 in HEX, rgb(76, 110, 168) in RGB and hsl(218, 38%, 48%) in HSL.

What is the RGB value of Soft Navy?

Soft Navy is rgb(76, 110, 168), meaning 76 units of red, 110 of green and 168 of blue on the 0 to 255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of Soft Navy?

In CMYK, Soft Navy converts to approximately 55%, 35%, 0%, 34%. Printed output will look slightly less saturated than the screen preview because CMYK covers a narrower gamut.

Does white text work on Soft Navy?

White text on Soft Navy gives a contrast ratio of 5.12:1, which is AA for normal text.

Does black text work on Soft Navy?

Black text on Soft Navy gives a contrast ratio of 4.1:1, which is AA for large text only.

Which colors go with Soft Navy?

Its direct complement is #C0A372, and the warm accent #D2C456 works well for calls to action. For a quieter scheme, pair it with the analogous blues listed above.

Is Soft Navy a light or dark navy?

At 48% lightness, Soft Navy is classed as a mid-tone navy in this collection.