What color is #178AC3?

#178AC3 is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(23, 138, 195), and in HSL hsl(200, 79%, 43%).

Is #178AC3 accessible as text?

On white, #178AC3 has a contrast ratio of 3.85:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.46:1 (passes). For text placed on #178AC3, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #178AC3?

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

What colors go well with #178AC3?

#178AC3 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C45117. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #178AC3 below.

Is #178AC3 good for buttons?

#178AC3 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #178AC3 — white text only reaches 3.85:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #178AC3 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #178AC3 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#178AC3 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #178AC3

Not just a swatch — here's how #178AC3 works with other colors. Named schemes with #178AC3 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178AC3 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 #178AC3 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #57AFE4

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 #178AC3 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 #178AC3 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592246 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 #178AC3 Secondary #92B0C5 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 #178AC3 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 13/100

Cool

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

Softness 47/100

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 44/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 34/100

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 24/100

Low

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

Print safety 69/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #178AC3

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #178AC3 with

Turquoise Medium Blue Mahogany 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 4.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1E7F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1751C4 — 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 #178AC3 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: #178AC3;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 138 195;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.2% 0.127 237.8);
  --color-50: #F1FAFE;
  --color-100: #DAF0FC;
  --color-200: #B6E1F6;
  --color-300: #85C9EB;
  --color-400: #58AFDA;
  --color-500: #3592C0;
  --color-600: #307192;
  --color-700: #285267;
  --color-800: #1D3743;
  --color-900: #142229;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F1FAFE',
    100: '#DAF0FC',
    200: '#B6E1F6',
    300: '#85C9EB',
    400: '#58AFDA',
    500: '#3592C0',
    600: '#307192',
    700: '#285267',
    800: '#1D3743',
    900: '#142229',
  },
}

$base: #178AC3;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FAFE;
$base-100: #DAF0FC;
$base-200: #B6E1F6;
$base-300: #85C9EB;
$base-400: #58AFDA;
$base-500: #3592C0;
$base-600: #307192;
$base-700: #285267;
$base-800: #1D3743;
$base-900: #142229;
$base-hover: #126F9D;
$base-subtle: #B9DCEE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#178AC3",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FAFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAF0FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6E1F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#85C9EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#58AFDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3592C0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#307192",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#285267",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3743",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142229",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #178AC3

Color Lab

Pairs with #178AC3

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export