What color is #118BCD?

#118BCD is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(17, 139, 205), and in HSL hsl(201, 85%, 44%).

Is #118BCD accessible as text?

On white, #118BCD has a contrast ratio of 3.75:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.60:1 (passes). For text placed on #118BCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #118BCD?

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

What colors go well with #118BCD?

#118BCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D05411. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #118BCD below.

Is #118BCD good for buttons?

#118BCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #118BCD — white text only reaches 3.75:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #118BCD the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #118BCD is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#118BCD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #118BCD

Not just a swatch — here's how #118BCD works with other colors. Named schemes with #118BCD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #118BCD 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 #118BCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #56B0EE

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 #118BCD 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 #118BCD 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 #118BCD Secondary #93B2CA 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #118BCD 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 10/100

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

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 37/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 90/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 21/100

Low

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

Print safety 67/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #118BCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #118BCD with

Turquoise Medium Blue Burnt Orange 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 5.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1E8F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #114DD0 — 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 #118BCD 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: #118BCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 17 139 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.9% 0.138 241.1);
  --color-50: #F0F9FE;
  --color-100: #D8F0FD;
  --color-200: #B4E1F9;
  --color-300: #81C8EE;
  --color-400: #53AEDF;
  --color-500: #3091C5;
  --color-600: #2C7196;
  --color-700: #25526A;
  --color-800: #1C3745;
  --color-900: #13222A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F0F9FE',
    100: '#D8F0FD',
    200: '#B4E1F9',
    300: '#81C8EE',
    400: '#53AEDF',
    500: '#3091C5',
    600: '#2C7196',
    700: '#25526A',
    800: '#1C3745',
    900: '#13222A',
  },
}

$base: #118BCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0F9FE;
$base-100: #D8F0FD;
$base-200: #B4E1F9;
$base-300: #81C8EE;
$base-400: #53AEDF;
$base-500: #3091C5;
$base-600: #2C7196;
$base-700: #25526A;
$base-800: #1C3745;
$base-900: #13222A;
$base-hover: #0D71A6;
$base-subtle: #B8DCF0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#118BCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0F9FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8F0FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B4E1F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#81C8EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#53AEDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3091C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2C7196",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#25526A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1C3745",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#13222A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #118BCD

Color Lab

Pairs with #118BCD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export