Cruel Sea
A heavy, deep, and muted cyan
Cruel Sea is a desaturated, near-black cyan that carries a heavy, muted weight. Because it sits on the darker end of the spectrum, it creates excellent readability for white text, making it a reliable choice for dark mode UI backgrounds. Pair this hex code, #213638, with a crisp cream or a soft coral to add warmth to its otherwise sterile, shadowy composition.
Questions about Cruel Sea
What is the hex code for Cruel Sea?
Cruel Sea is #213638. In RGB that is rgb(33, 54, 56), in HSL hsl(185, 26%, 17%) and in CMYK 41%, 4%, 0%, 78%.
How do you style #213638 Cruel Sea in web design?
Is #213638 Cruel Sea considered a warm or cool color?
Cruel Sea leans cool due to its strong cyan and blue-green base, but its deep desaturation makes it feel neutral and grounded. This versatility allows it to bridge the gap between harsh, cold dark tones and warmer, more inviting dark palettes.
Is Cruel Sea readable on white or black?
Cruel Sea has a 12.73:1 contrast ratio on white and 1.64:1 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.