What color is #196BAE?

#196BAE is a dark, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(25, 107, 174), and in HSL hsl(207, 75%, 39%).

Is #196BAE accessible as text?

On white, #196BAE has a contrast ratio of 5.59:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.76:1 (fails). For text placed on #196BAE, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #196BAE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-700 (#0069A8).

What colors go well with #196BAE?

#196BAE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AE5C19. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #196BAE below.

Is #196BAE good for buttons?

#196BAE works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #196BAE — black text only reaches 3.76:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #196BAE the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #196BAE is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#196BAE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #196BAE

Not just a swatch — here's how #196BAE works with other colors. Named schemes with #196BAE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #196BAE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Lapis Lazuli 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 #196BAE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #4D90CE

Lapis Lazuli is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Lapis Lazuli.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #196BAE Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

Lapis Lazuli 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 #196BAE Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2245 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B2F

Lapis Lazuli 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 #196BAE Secondary #7C94AC Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Lapis Lazuli 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 Lapis Lazuli carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #196BAE 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 14/100

Cool

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

Softness 41/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 49/100

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 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 55/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 35/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 99/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 15/100

Very low

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

Print safety 71/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #196BAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #196BAE with

Medium Turquoise Zaffre Ginger Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 5.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CFE2F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1939AE — 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 #196BAE 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: #196BAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 25 107 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.6% 0.130 248.8);
  --color-50: #F1F8FE;
  --color-100: #DAECFB;
  --color-200: #B8D9F5;
  --color-300: #87BCE8;
  --color-400: #5B9FD7;
  --color-500: #3881BC;
  --color-600: #326690;
  --color-700: #294A66;
  --color-800: #1E3242;
  --color-900: #142029;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lapis-lazuli: {
    50: '#F1F8FE',
    100: '#DAECFB',
    200: '#B8D9F5',
    300: '#87BCE8',
    400: '#5B9FD7',
    500: '#3881BC',
    600: '#326690',
    700: '#294A66',
    800: '#1E3242',
    900: '#142029',
  },
}

$base: #196BAE;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F8FE;
$base-100: #DAECFB;
$base-200: #B8D9F5;
$base-300: #87BCE8;
$base-400: #5B9FD7;
$base-500: #3881BC;
$base-600: #326690;
$base-700: #294A66;
$base-800: #1E3242;
$base-900: #142029;
$base-hover: #14568B;
$base-subtle: #B6D3EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#196BAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F8FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAECFB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B8D9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#87BCE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5B9FD7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3881BC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#326690",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#294A66",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1E3242",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142029",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #196BAE

Color Lab

Pairs with #196BAE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export