What color is #178BCF?

#178BCF is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(23, 139, 207), and in HSL hsl(202, 80%, 45%).

Is #178BCF accessible as text?

On white, #178BCF has a contrast ratio of 3.73:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.63:1 (passes). For text placed on #178BCF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #178BCF?

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

What colors go well with #178BCF?

#178BCF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CF5A17. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #178BCF below.

Is #178BCF good for buttons?

#178BCF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #178BCF — white text only reaches 3.73:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #178BCF the same as CSS steelblue?

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

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

Palettes built on #178BCF

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178BCF 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 #178BCF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #58B1F0

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 #178BCF Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #375245 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 #178BCF 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 #178BCF Secondary #94B3CB 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 #178BCF 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

Low

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 45/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 38/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 89/100

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 #178BCF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #178BCF with

Turquoise Medium Blue Tawny 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 #D3E7F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #174ECF — 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 #178BCF 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: #178BCF;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 139 207;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(61.1% 0.139 242.3);
  --color-50: #F1F9FE;
  --color-100: #D9EFFC;
  --color-200: #B6DFF7;
  --color-300: #84C5EB;
  --color-400: #57ABDB;
  --color-500: #348DC1;
  --color-600: #2F6E93;
  --color-700: #275068;
  --color-800: #1D3644;
  --color-900: #142129;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F1F9FE',
    100: '#D9EFFC',
    200: '#B6DFF7',
    300: '#84C5EB',
    400: '#57ABDB',
    500: '#348DC1',
    600: '#2F6E93',
    700: '#275068',
    800: '#1D3644',
    900: '#142129',
  },
}

$base: #178BCF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F9FE;
$base-100: #D9EFFC;
$base-200: #B6DFF7;
$base-300: #84C5EB;
$base-400: #57ABDB;
$base-500: #348DC1;
$base-600: #2F6E93;
$base-700: #275068;
$base-800: #1D3644;
$base-900: #142129;
$base-hover: #126FA5;
$base-subtle: #BBDCEF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#178BCF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F9FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D9EFFC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6DFF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#84C5EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#57ABDB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#348DC1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2F6E93",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#275068",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3644",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142129",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}