Exploring the Color #42505D

#42505D sits at 209° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 17% saturation and 31% lightness, it reads as a heavily muted, shadowed tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 66, 80, 93 produces a 8.28:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #42505D is a clear variant of CSS dim gray — about 48 units away from #696969. Designers reach for azure hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades