What color is #117BCD?

#117BCD is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(17, 123, 205), and in HSL hsl(206, 85%, 44%).

Is #117BCD accessible as text?

On white, #117BCD has a contrast ratio of 4.43:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.74:1 (passes). For text placed on #117BCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #117BCD?

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

What colors go well with #117BCD?

#117BCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D06311. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #117BCD below.

Is #117BCD good for buttons?

#117BCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #117BCD — white text only reaches 4.43:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #117BCD the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #117BCD is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#117BCD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #117BCD

Not just a swatch — here's how #117BCD works with other colors. Named schemes with #117BCD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #117BCD Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

True 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 #117BCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #50A1ED

True 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 True Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #117BCD Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

True 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 #117BCD Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2245 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B2F

True 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 #117BCD Secondary #89A5C3 Support #959386 Ink #16140F

True 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 True Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #117BCD 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 7/100

Cool

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

Softness 42/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 44/100

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 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 41/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 96/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 14/100

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 #117BCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #117BCD with

Turquoise Medium Blue Copper Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

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

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

Background Pair with white text at 4.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1E5F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #113DD0 — 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 #117BCD 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: #117BCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 17 123 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(57.1% 0.153 249.3);
  --color-50: #F0F8FE;
  --color-100: #D8EDFD;
  --color-200: #B4DBF9;
  --color-300: #81BFEE;
  --color-400: #53A2DF;
  --color-500: #3084C5;
  --color-600: #2C6896;
  --color-700: #254C6A;
  --color-800: #1C3345;
  --color-900: #13202A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  true-blue: {
    50: '#F0F8FE',
    100: '#D8EDFD',
    200: '#B4DBF9',
    300: '#81BFEE',
    400: '#53A2DF',
    500: '#3084C5',
    600: '#2C6896',
    700: '#254C6A',
    800: '#1C3345',
    900: '#13202A',
  },
}

$base: #117BCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0F8FE;
$base-100: #D8EDFD;
$base-200: #B4DBF9;
$base-300: #81BFEE;
$base-400: #53A2DF;
$base-500: #3084C5;
$base-600: #2C6896;
$base-700: #254C6A;
$base-800: #1C3345;
$base-900: #13202A;
$base-hover: #0D64A6;
$base-subtle: #B8D8F0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#117BCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0F8FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8EDFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B4DBF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#81BFEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#53A2DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3084C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2C6896",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#254C6A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1C3345",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#13202A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #117BCD

Color Lab

Pairs with #117BCD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export