PURPLES
Steel Blue
#231A24
Steel Blue is #231A24 in HEX — rgb(35, 26, 36), hsl(294°, 16%, 12%), cmyk(3%, 28%, 0%, 86%).
Steel Blue pulls into the deep end of the purples spectrum — HSL 294°, 16%, 12%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on accent walls, dressing rooms, creative studios — for character without shouting. Reads best alongside warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles.
Color Codes
Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands
RAL
Steel Blue 5011
Benjamin Moore
Velvet CSP-480
Vista Paint
Silent Sea C-514
Kilz
Beetroot Purple TB-100
Dulux
Black SG6G9
Sherwin-Williams
Raisin SW7630
Hallman-Lindsay
Silent Sea 515
Behr
Rich Bordeaux BXC-87
IKEA
IKEA186 186
Dutch Boy
Dark Chocolate D-6782
Colorhouse
Nourish .06 Nourish-06
Kobra
Black 44
Valspar
Twilight Purple 4010-2
Farrow & Ball
Pitch Black 256
Dunn-Edwards
Black DEA187
PPG
Napoleon 1013-7
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
1/100
Very Dark
Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.
Undertone
Reads as a neutral pink with a red undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.
Color Theory
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split-Complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Rectangle
Compound
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
Interior Use
Best Rooms
dressing rooms, creative studios, accent walls
Best Uses
feature walls, cabinetry, textiles
Pairs With
warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles
Accessibility (WCAG)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
Color Psychology
Sophisticated · Imaginative
Steel Blue carries history — long associated with luxury and contemplation. It works in low-light, intimate rooms (dressing rooms, dens, accent walls) where its complexity gets time to unfold. Pair with brass and walnut.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
Paint Info
Brand · Product Line
Benjamin Moore / Aura Interior (for richer color depth in deep tones)
Recommended Finishes
Matte (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Satin (doors)
Deep colors look best in matte — gloss exaggerates surface flaws. Reserve subtle sheen for trim, doors, and high-touch areas.
Best Surfaces
Accent walls · Doors · Cabinetry · Built-ins
Coverage & Dry Time
Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.
Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.
Primer
Tinted primer in a similar value is highly recommended — saves a coat and prevents the wall colour from washing the surface.
Application Tip
Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.
Paint Calculator
You'll need
4.0 litres
1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.
Code Snippets
color: #231A24;background-color: #231A24;--color-steel-blue: #231A24;colors: { 'steel-blue': '#231A24' }bg-[#231A24] text-[#231A24]$steel-blue: #231A24;Similar Colors
Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.
Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #231A24?
#231A24 is Steel Blue, a near-black purple with a warm undertone.
Is #231A24 warm or cool?
Steel Blue reads warm, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.
What rooms work best with Steel Blue?
Steel Blue works well in dressing rooms, creative studios, accent walls. Designers typically use it for feature walls, cabinetry, textiles.
What colors pair well with Steel Blue?
Steel Blue pairs naturally with warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.
Where can I download Steel Blue?
You can download Steel Blue on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.
What's the hex code for Steel Blue?
The hex code is #231A24. In RGB it's 35, 26, 36, and in HSL it's 294°, 16%, 12%.
