#2E3238
#4E5258
#1A1E24
#B0B4B8
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Noir City Color Palette

#2E3238 · #4E5258 · #1A1E24 · #B0B4B8

AA
WCAG Grade
6.2:1
Contrast Ratio
671
Saves
2,064
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #2E3238 as the background. Use #4E5258 as the primary accent. Use #1A1E24 as secondary. Use #B0B4B8 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Noir City — moody, night, mono, cool.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Noir City color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 3.1%
46, 50, 56 18%, 11%, 0%, 78% 216°, 10%, 20%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 8.4%
78, 82, 88 11%, 7%, 0%, 65% 216°, 6%, 33%
Secondary
Luminance: 1.3%
26, 30, 36 28%, 17%, 0%, 86% 216°, 16%, 12%
Body Text
Luminance: 45.3%
176, 180, 184 4%, 2%, 0%, 28% 210°, 5%, 71%

Noir City Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Noir City palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#2E3238 muted blue
#4E5258 neutral gray
#1A1E24 muted blue
#B0B4B8 neutral gray

Noir City Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#B0B4B8 on #1A1E24
Aa Sample Text
8.02:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#1A1E24 on #B0B4B8
Aa Sample Text
8.02:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#B0B4B8 on #2E3238
Aa Sample Text
6.18:1 AA Body text, UI
#2E3238 on #B0B4B8
Aa Sample Text
6.18:1 AA Body text, UI
#B0B4B8 on #4E5258
Aa Sample Text
3.77:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#4E5258 on #B0B4B8
Aa Sample Text
3.77:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#1A1E24 on #4E5258
Aa Sample Text
2.13:1 Fail Decorative use only
#4E5258 on #1A1E24
Aa Sample Text
2.13:1 Fail Decorative use only
#4E5258 on #2E3238
Aa Sample Text
1.64:1 Fail Decorative use only
#2E3238 on #4E5258
Aa Sample Text
1.64:1 Fail Decorative use only
#1A1E24 on #2E3238
Aa Sample Text
1.30:1 Fail Decorative use only
#2E3238 on #1A1E24
Aa Sample Text
1.30:1 Fail Decorative use only

Noir City Color Psychology & Meaning

Film noir lighting cuts a room into hard black and pale grey with venetian-blind shadows and almost no midtones, and this palette is noir grey with shadow black. It feels tense and cynical, the color of a room lit by a streetlamp through slats.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The Noir City palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

Film noir of the 1940s used low-key lighting for both aesthetic and budgetary reasons, and the high-contrast look became so associated with crime stories that it is now a standalone visual style.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the noir grey for page backgrounds, rain light for calls to action, shadow black for card accents, and streetlamp white for text.

Industries This Palette Suits

Publishing, journalism, podcasts, photography.

Colors That Pair Well With Noir City

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

orange

directly opposite #4E5258 on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

blue

30° beside #4E5258 — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Noir City Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #4E5258 for small UI elements on #2E3238 — at 1.6:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Set body text in #B0B4B8 — 6.2:1 against #2E3238 passes WCAG AA (AA) for long-form reading.
  • Let #1A1E24 carry sidebars, cards and footers — at a deep lightness it separates zones without stealing focus from #4E5258.

How to Implement the Noir City Color Scheme

To use this Noir City color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #2E3238 for the main background and #4E5258 for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #B0B4B8 and #2E3238 is 6.18:1 (AA). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Noir City Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Noir City color palette?

The Noir City palette contains #2E3238, #4E5258, #1A1E24, #B0B4B8. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Noir City color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #B0B4B8 on #1A1E24 reaches 8.0:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Noir City palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #5F5A54, #4D4C5D, #ECEDEE extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Noir City palette create?

Noir City reads as moody, night, mono. Neutral gray drives the personality, grounded by muted blue — a combination that works best when the deep base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Noir City color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Noir City palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Noir City palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Noir City's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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