Slate Color
Slate is a blue color with hex code #516572. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with slate, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Slate Color Values
What Does Slate Mean?
Slate belongs to the blue family of colors. Blue wins popularity surveys in every culture that runs them, and corporate design reflects it. Trust and stability are the usual words people reach for. Dark navies project authority, pale blues open a layout up, and almost nothing clashes with it. Slate sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Slate is classified as a blue (nearest centroid: grayish blue, #536878).
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Slate
Slate and #715E50 are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #50716E and #505471, which sit beside slate on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair slate with triadic partners #715064 and #647150. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Slate Grey —
#59656D(Delta E 4) - Blue Bayoux —
#496679(Delta E 4) - Shuttle Grey —
#5F6672(Delta E 5) - Nevada —
#646E75(Delta E 7) - Bismark —
#497183(Delta E 8)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #516572; }
.background { background-color: #516572; }
.border { border: 2px solid #516572; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #51657240; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for slate?
Slate has the hex code #516572. In RGB notation it is rgb(81, 101, 114), in HSL it is hsl(204, 17%, 38%), and its OKLCH value is 0.495, 0.032, 236.8.
What does the color slate mean?
Blue-family colors like slate carry distinct psychological associations. Slate belongs to the blue family of colors. Blue wins popularity surveys in every culture that runs them, and corporate design reflects it. Trust and stability are the usual words people reach for. Dark navies project authority, pale blues open a layout up, and almost nothing clashes with it. Slate sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with slate?
Slate has three easy routes: its complement #715E50 for punch, its neighbors #50716E and #505471 for something calmer, or triadic partners #715064 and #647150 when you want energy.
Is slate a standard web color?
No — Slate is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #516572 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make slate lighter or darker?
To lighten slate, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #E1E6EA (lightest tint) to #0D1012 (darkest shade).
About Slate
Slate is classified as a Blue in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Blue hue family. It has The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #516572 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.