Monochromatic Color Palette
Five steps of one hue — lightness is the only variable, so nothing can clash. Palette anchors: #334155, #475569, #64748B.
monochromaticelegant
#334155
#475569
#64748B
#94A3B8
#CBD5E1
#334155 #475569 #64748b #94a3b8 #cbd5e1
#334155 #475569 #64748B #94A3B8 #CBD5E1
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #CBD5E1 | |
| surface | #94A3B8 | |
| text | #334155 | |
| text-muted | #475569 | |
| primary | #475569 | |
| secondary | #64748B | |
| accent | #94A3B8 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #cbd5e1;
--surface: #94a3b8;
--text: #334155;
--text-muted: #475569;
--primary: #475569;
--secondary: #64748b;
--accent: #94a3b8;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #334155 | #475569 | #64748B | #94A3B8 | #CBD5E1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #334155 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 7.0 |
| #475569 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 5.1 |
| #64748B | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.2 |
| #94A3B8 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| #CBD5E1 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
#334155
rgb(51, 65, 85)
#475569
rgb(71, 85, 105)
#64748B
rgb(100, 116, 139)
#94A3B8
rgb(148, 163, 184)
#CBD5E1
rgb(203, 213, 225)
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the monochromatic color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #334155, #475569, #64748B, #94A3B8, #CBD5E1.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.