What color is #128AB9?

#128AB9 is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(18, 138, 185), and in HSL hsl(197, 82%, 40%).

Is #128AB9 accessible as text?

On white, #128AB9 has a contrast ratio of 3.92:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.36:1 (passes). For text placed on #128AB9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #128AB9?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-600 (#0092B8).

What colors go well with #128AB9?

#128AB9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BA4212. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #128AB9 below.

Is #128AB9 good for buttons?

#128AB9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #128AB9 — white text only reaches 3.92:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #128AB9 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #128AB9 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#128AB9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #128AB9

Not just a swatch — here's how #128AB9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #128AB9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #128AB9 Accent #A6C4C0 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 #128AB9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #56AFDA

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 #128AB9 Secondary #6F5216 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233D

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 #128AB9 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592247 Accent #E4C2CC 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 #128AB9 Secondary #90AFC0 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 #128AB9 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 15/100

Cool

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

Softness 48/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 47/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 32/100

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 26/100

Low

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

Print safety 70/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #128AB9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #128AB9 with

Medium Aquamarine Klein 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 4.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CEE8F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1252BA — 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 #128AB9 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: #128AB9;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 138 185;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.6% 0.118 232.3);
  --color-50: #F0FAFE;
  --color-100: #D9F2FC;
  --color-200: #B5E5F8;
  --color-300: #83CFED;
  --color-400: #55B6DD;
  --color-500: #329AC3;
  --color-600: #2E7794;
  --color-700: #265669;
  --color-800: #1D3944;
  --color-900: #14232A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F0FAFE',
    100: '#D9F2FC',
    200: '#B5E5F8',
    300: '#83CFED',
    400: '#55B6DD',
    500: '#329AC3',
    600: '#2E7794',
    700: '#265669',
    800: '#1D3944',
    900: '#14232A',
  },
}

$base: #128AB9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0FAFE;
$base-100: #D9F2FC;
$base-200: #B5E5F8;
$base-300: #83CFED;
$base-400: #55B6DD;
$base-500: #329AC3;
$base-600: #2E7794;
$base-700: #265669;
$base-800: #1D3944;
$base-900: #14232A;
$base-hover: #0F6F95;
$base-subtle: #B4DDEE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#128AB9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0FAFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D9F2FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B5E5F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#83CFED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#55B6DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#329AC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2E7794",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#265669",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3944",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#14232A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #128AB9

Color Lab

Pairs with #128AB9

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export