Showa era
Benzol Green & Grayish Lavender - A
Plate 15 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Benzol Green, Grayish Lavender - A.
#00978d
blue · 11 palettes
Benzol Green
About Benzol Green
Benzol Green is a deep, vivid blue tone. Its hex value is #00978d — that is
RGB 0, 151, 141, or HSL 176°, 100%, 30%.
It holds 5.8:1 contrast against dark, so Benzol Green works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 3.6:1; on black 5.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Benzol Green appears in 11 combinations — most often paired with Cream Yellow, Grayish Lavender - A and Light Glaucous Blue.
Colours that go with Benzol Green
From a standard colour wheel, Benzol Green anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#00978d #97000A
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#00978d #009742 #005597
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#00978d #8D0097 #978D00
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#00978d #970055 #974200
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Benzol Green
Benzol Green is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 176°, 100%, 30%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (5.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#97000A) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#009742 and #005597) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Benzol Green off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Listed on Amazon as Strathmore 300 Series Tape Bound Watercolor Pad, 140 lb. Cold Press, 11 X 15 inches, White, 12 Sheets (360-111)
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Palettes with Benzol Green
Benzol Green appears in 11 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Benzol Green
- What is the hex code for Benzol Green?
- Benzol Green is #00978d. It appears in 11 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Benzol Green look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Benzol Green (#00978d) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 3.61:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 5.81:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Benzol Green come from?
- Benzol Green is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued blue pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Benzol Green in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#00978d) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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