What color is #178DAB?

#178DAB is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(23, 141, 171), and in HSL hsl(192, 76%, 38%).

Is #178DAB accessible as text?

On white, #178DAB has a contrast ratio of 3.86:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.43:1 (passes). For text placed on #178DAB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #178DAB?

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

What colors go well with #178DAB?

#178DAB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AB3517. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #178DAB below.

Is #178DAB good for buttons?

#178DAB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #178DAB — white text only reaches 3.86:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #178DAB the same as CSS steelblue?

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

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

Palettes built on #178DAB

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178DAB Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

Bondi 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 #178DAB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #58B1CD

Bondi 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 Bondi Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178DAB Secondary #705116 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233E

Bondi 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 #178DAB Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592248 Accent #E3C2CD Secondary #322B30

Bondi 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 #178DAB Secondary #91B0BA Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Bondi 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 Bondi Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #178DAB 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 19/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 51/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 28/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 88/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 30/100

Low

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

Print safety 72/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #178DAB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #178DAB with

Emerald Green Egyptian Blue Chestnut Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 #CEEAF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #175CAB — 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 #178DAB 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: #178DAB;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 141 171;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.7% 0.105 220.9);
  --color-50: #F1FBFE;
  --color-100: #DAF4FB;
  --color-200: #B7E9F5;
  --color-300: #87D5E9;
  --color-400: #5ABFD8;
  --color-500: #37A3BD;
  --color-600: #327D90;
  --color-700: #295A66;
  --color-800: #1E3B43;
  --color-900: #142529;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bondi-blue: {
    50: '#F1FBFE',
    100: '#DAF4FB',
    200: '#B7E9F5',
    300: '#87D5E9',
    400: '#5ABFD8',
    500: '#37A3BD',
    600: '#327D90',
    700: '#295A66',
    800: '#1E3B43',
    900: '#142529',
  },
}

$base: #178DAB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FBFE;
$base-100: #DAF4FB;
$base-200: #B7E9F5;
$base-300: #87D5E9;
$base-400: #5ABFD8;
$base-500: #37A3BD;
$base-600: #327D90;
$base-700: #295A66;
$base-800: #1E3B43;
$base-900: #142529;
$base-hover: #137188;
$base-subtle: #B4E0EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#178DAB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FBFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAF4FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B7E9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#87D5E9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5ABFD8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#37A3BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#327D90",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#295A66",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1E3B43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142529",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #178DAB

Color Lab

Pairs with #178DAB

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export