What color is #048ACD?

#048ACD is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(4, 138, 205), and in HSL hsl(200, 96%, 41%).

Is #048ACD accessible as text?

On white, #048ACD has a contrast ratio of 3.80:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.52:1 (passes). For text placed on #048ACD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #048ACD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-600 (#0084D1).

What colors go well with #048ACD?

#048ACD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CD4704. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #048ACD below.

Is #048ACD good for buttons?

#048ACD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #048ACD — white text only reaches 3.80:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #048ACD the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #048ACD is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#048ACD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #048ACD

Not just a swatch — here's how #048ACD works with other colors. Named schemes with #048ACD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #048ACD Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #048ACD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #53AFEE

Steel Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Steel Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #048ACD Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 Anchor #57233C

Steel Blue plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #048ACD Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #5A2246 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B30

Steel Blue sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #048ACD Secondary #91B1C9 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Steel Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #048ACD actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 9/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 46/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 38/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 91/100

Very high

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 20/100

Very low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 66/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #048ACD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #048ACD with

Medium Spring Green Medium Blue Rust Platinum Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 4.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CCE8F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #0447CD — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #048ACD at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #048ACD;
  --color-base-rgb: 4 138 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.5% 0.140 241.0);
  --color-50: #F0FAFE;
  --color-100: #D8F1FD;
  --color-200: #B1E3FC;
  --color-300: #7ACCF6;
  --color-400: #4AB3E8;
  --color-500: #2697CF;
  --color-600: #25759D;
  --color-700: #21546E;
  --color-800: #193848;
  --color-900: #12232C;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F0FAFE',
    100: '#D8F1FD',
    200: '#B1E3FC',
    300: '#7ACCF6',
    400: '#4AB3E8',
    500: '#2697CF',
    600: '#25759D',
    700: '#21546E',
    800: '#193848',
    900: '#12232C',
  },
}

$base: #048ACD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0FAFE;
$base-100: #D8F1FD;
$base-200: #B1E3FC;
$base-300: #7ACCF6;
$base-400: #4AB3E8;
$base-500: #2697CF;
$base-600: #25759D;
$base-700: #21546E;
$base-800: #193848;
$base-900: #12232C;
$base-hover: #036EA4;
$base-subtle: #B1DDF3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#048ACD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0FAFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8F1FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B1E3FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#7ACCF6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#4AB3E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#2697CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#25759D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#21546E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#193848",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#12232C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #048ACD

Color Lab

Pairs with #048ACD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export