Smalt
An authoritative blue with deep professional roots
Smalt is a deep, authoritative blue that leans into serious, formal palettes. Because of its dark intensity, #003399 serves best as a solid background or a dominant branding anchor rather than small text. It pairs well with crisp white for maximum legibility, offering a high contrast ratio of 10.9:1. This hex code provides the stability needed for corporate or institutional design projects.
About Smalt
Deep water at dusk, when the shore lights come on
What does smalt mean?
Smalt is named for an old pigment made from ground blue glass, and it commonly suggests depth, formality, and low evening light. Its darkness and muted saturation give it a heavy, closed-in feel, like a room with the shades drawn on a winter afternoon.
Where you see smalt
- police uniforms
- ink in a fountain pen
- denim at night
- the strip on a credit card
- book cloth on hardcover spines
- blue glass bottles
What it works for
Use it for backgrounds that need weight without black, or as a text and interface color where plain navy feels too stiff.
What colors go with smalt?
Questions about Smalt
What is the hex code for Smalt?
Smalt is #003399. In RGB that is rgb(0, 51, 153), in HSL hsl(220, 100%, 30%) and in CMYK 100%, 67%, 0%, 40%.
Is Smalt readable on white or black?
Smalt has a 10.86:1 contrast ratio on white and 1.93:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works for body text and on black it is too faint for text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.