RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western art, ultramarine has long symbolized divine and spiritual qualities, often employed in religious paintings to represent the heavens. Conversely, in some Eastern cultures, it can evoke tranquility and peace, reflecting the calmness of deep waters.
The term 'ultramarine' originates from the Latin 'ultra marinum', meaning 'beyond the sea', referring to the trade of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan to Europe in the Middle Ages. By the 14th century, it became a prized pigment for artists, including Titian and Vermeer, due to its cost and beauty.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Ultramarine. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 45 Blues →Nine steps of Ultramarine by lightness — from #22357F (darkest) to #9CAFFA (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Ultramarine at 48° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Ultramarine.
Brands and institutions known for using Ultramarine.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Ultramarine anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #4166F5; color-mix(in srgb, #4166F5 70%, white) 228°, 73%, 96% 73, 58, 0, 4 4286197 #3366FF How Ultramarine appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.