Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Shale

Shale color #59656F: RGB 89, 101, 111 and HSL 207°, 11%, 39%. Explore its cool blue profile, contrast, CSS, palettes and harmonies.

#59656F blue cool muted
HEX #59656F
RGB rgb(89, 101, 111)
HSL hsl(207 11% 39%)
CMYK cmyk(20, 9, 0, 56)
Luminance 0.1258
Contrast Black 3.52:1White 5.97:1

Use this color

Create with Shale

Open a professional color tool with #59656F already applied. Each configuration stays canonical to the tool and can be adjusted or shared.

All color tools
Generate palette & CSS variablesCreate 50–950 tokens and export CSS, SCSS, JSON, or Tailwind.Open configured tool →Open in Gradient StudioStart with Shale and its complementary color.Open configured tool →Mix this colorBlend it with a complementary color and copy color-mix() CSS.Open configured tool →Check contrastOpen the strongest black or white background pairing.Open configured tool →Accessible combinationsReview AA and AAA text options, alternatives, warnings, and UI guidance.Open configured tool →Create glass surfaceUse this color as the tint for a translucent UI panel.Open configured tool →

CSS Utilities

--color-shale: #59656F;
.bg-shale { background-color: #59656F; }
.text-shale { color: #59656F; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Color meaning and use

About Shale Color

Shale uses HEX #59656F, RGB 89, 101, 111, and HSL 207°, 11%, 39%. The dataset classifies it in the blue family with cool temperature and muted visual character.

No separate named-color neighbor is recorded for this entry. Its relative luminance is 0.1258; black contrast is 3.52:1 and white contrast is 5.97:1, making white the stronger of those two standard foreground choices.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Shale against black and white text.

Black text3.52:1AA Fail
White text5.97:1AA Pass
AA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5
AAA text optionsNone in seed set
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Downloadable color reference infographic

Shale Color Reference Infographic

Save a high-resolution infographic of Shale, including its color values, coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.

1200 × 800
Shale color reference infographic showing #59656F, RGB and HSL values, a coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.
Shale color reference infographic generated from the verified Colors Encyclopedia dataset.
Download WebPDownload SVGOpen full size

Color Harmonies

#6E6259#6E6259#596E6D#596E6D#595A6E#595A6E#6E5965#6E5965#656E59#656E59
Open full Shale harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#85939D#85939D#30363B#30363B#436784#436784#636363#636363#A3A3A3#A3A3A3#0084F0#0084F0

Pairings

White#FFFFFF#6E6259#6E6259#596E6D#596E6D#595A6E#595A6EMatte Black#1A1A1AWhite Smoke#F5F5F5

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.1258
Black text3.52:1AA Fail
White text5.97:1AA Pass
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#59656F",
  "rgb": [
    89,
    101,
    111
  ],
  "hsl": [
    207,
    11,
    39
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    20,
    9,
    0,
    56
  ],
  "luminance": 0.1258,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 3.52,
    "white": 5.97
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ],
  "AAA": []
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#6E6259",
  "analogous": [
    "#596E6D",
    "#595A6E"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#6E5965",
    "#656E59"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#6D596E",
    "#6E6259",
    "#5A6E59"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#6E595A",
    "#6E6D59"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#85939D",
    "#59656F",
    "#30363B"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#85939D",
  "dark": "#30363B",
  "saturated": "#436784",
  "desaturated": "#636363",
  "pastel": "#A3A3A3",
  "neon": "#0084F0"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#6E6259",
    "#596E6D",
    "#595A6E"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#636363",
    "#85939D"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#FFFFFF"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#85939D",
    "#636363"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "storm-blue",
    "granite",
    "dim-gray",
    "dim-grey",
    "machinery-gray"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "shale"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "aegean-blue-vs-shale",
    "shale-vs-granite",
    "shale-vs-storm-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/shale",
    "/wcag/shale",
    "/css/colors/shale",
    "/hex/59656f",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/shale"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/storm-blue",
      "/colors/granite",
      "/colors/dim-gray",
      "/colors/dim-grey",
      "/colors/machinery-gray",
      "/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale",
      "/compare/shale-vs-granite",
      "/compare/shale-vs-storm-blue",
      "/harmonies/shale",
      "/wcag/shale",
      "/css/colors/shale",
      "/hex/59656f",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "shale",
  "name": "Shale",
  "hex": "#59656F",
  "uses": [
    "earth-tone palettes",
    "interior design",
    "material-inspired branding"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "groundedness",
      "warmth",
      "natural texture"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "architecture",
      "home decor",
      "outdoor products",
      "editorial layouts"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "high-saturation futuristic interfaces"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design, material, cultural, and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "blue",
  "temperature": "cool",
  "tone": [
    "muted"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "blue",
    "cool",
    "muted",
    "earth-tone-palettes",
    "interior-design",
    "material-inspired-branding",
    "groundedness",
    "warmth",
    "natural-texture"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    89,
    101,
    111
  ],
  "hsl": [
    207,
    11,
    39
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    20,
    9,
    0,
    56
  ],
  "luminance": 0.1258,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 3.52,
    "white": 5.97
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#6E6259",
    "analogous": [
      "#596E6D",
      "#595A6E"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#6E5965",
      "#656E59"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#6D596E",
      "#6E6259",
      "#5A6E59"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#6E595A",
      "#6E6D59"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#85939D",
      "#59656F",
      "#30363B"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#85939D",
    "dark": "#30363B",
    "saturated": "#436784",
    "desaturated": "#636363",
    "pastel": "#A3A3A3",
    "neon": "#0084F0"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": []
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-shale: #59656F;",
    "utility": ".bg-shale { background-color: #59656F; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-shale { color: #59656F; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "storm-blue",
    "granite",
    "dim-gray",
    "dim-grey",
    "machinery-gray"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "shale"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "aegean-blue-vs-shale",
    "shale-vs-granite",
    "shale-vs-storm-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/shale",
    "/wcag/shale",
    "/css/colors/shale",
    "/hex/59656f",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/shale"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/storm-blue",
      "/colors/granite",
      "/colors/dim-gray",
      "/colors/dim-grey",
      "/colors/machinery-gray",
      "/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale",
      "/compare/shale-vs-granite",
      "/compare/shale-vs-storm-blue",
      "/harmonies/shale",
      "/wcag/shale",
      "/css/colors/shale",
      "/hex/59656f",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#6E6259",
      "#596E6D",
      "#595A6E"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#636363",
      "#85939D"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#FFFFFF"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#85939D",
      "#636363"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Similar Colors

Storm Blue#4F666A
Granite#676767
Dim Gray#696969
Dim Grey#696969
Machinery Gray#6C6F70

Related Color Guides

Blue color familyBrowse named blue colors and compare nearby swatches.Cool colorsExplore colors with cool temperature behavior.Muted colorsFind colors with muted visual character.Shale accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #59656F.Shale CSS utilitiesUse Shale in CSS variables and utility classes.#59656F HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Shale paletteOpen the generated palette based on Shale.Shale harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.