Smoky Color
Smoky is a purple color with hex code #605B73. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with smoky, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Smoky Color Values
What Does Smoky Mean?
Smoky belongs to the purple family of colors. Purple dye once cost more than gold, and the royal association never really wore off. The family blends red's warmth with blue's calm, which is an odd, appealing combination. Brands pick purple partly because their competitors don't. Smoky sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Smoky is classified as a blue (nearest centroid: grayish purplish blue, #4C516D).
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Smoky
Smoky and #6D725A 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 — #5A6172 and #6B5A72, which sit beside smoky on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair smoky with triadic partners #725F5A and #5A725F. 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
- Dolphin —
#646077(Delta E 2) - Comet —
#5C5D75(Delta E 2) - Salt Box —
#685E6E(Delta E 5) - Mid Grey —
#5F5F6E(Delta E 6) - Scarpa Flow —
#585562(Delta E 7)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #605B73; }
.background { background-color: #605B73; }
.border { border: 2px solid #605B73; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #605B7340; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for smoky?
Smoky has the hex code #605B73. In RGB notation it is rgb(96, 91, 115), in HSL it is hsl(252, 12%, 40%), and its OKLCH value is 0.485, 0.038, 294.5.
What does the color smoky mean?
Purple-family colors like smoky carry distinct psychological associations. Smoky belongs to the purple family of colors. Purple dye once cost more than gold, and the royal association never really wore off. The family blends red's warmth with blue's calm, which is an odd, appealing combination. Brands pick purple partly because their competitors don't. Smoky sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with smoky?
Smoky has three easy routes: its complement #6D725A for punch, its neighbors #5A6172 and #6B5A72 for something calmer, or triadic partners #725F5A and #5A725F when you want energy.
Is smoky a standard web color?
No — Smoky is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #605B73 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make smoky lighter or darker?
To lighten smoky, 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 #E4E2E9 (lightest tint) to #111014 (darkest shade).
About Smoky
Smoky is classified as a Blue in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Purple hue family. It has The color is recognized by Resene.
Use our Color Converter to convert #605B73 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.