What color is #196CA4?

#196CA4 is a dark, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(25, 108, 164), and in HSL hsl(204, 74%, 37%).

Is #196CA4 accessible as text?

On white, #196CA4 has a contrast ratio of 5.64:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.72:1 (fails). For text placed on #196CA4, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #196CA4?

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

What colors go well with #196CA4?

#196CA4 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #A45019. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #196CA4 below.

Is #196CA4 good for buttons?

#196CA4 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #196CA4 — black text only reaches 3.72:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #196CA4 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #196CA4 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#196CA4 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #196CA4

Not just a swatch — here's how #196CA4 works with other colors. Named schemes with #196CA4 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #196CA4 Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 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 #196CA4 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #4D90C5

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 #196CA4 Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233C

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 #196CA4 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #5A2246 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B30

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 #196CA4 Secondary #7B93A7 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.

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Color Lab

How #196CA4 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 17/100

Cool

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

Softness 42/100

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 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 56/100

Moderate

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 31/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 97/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 18/100

Very low

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

Print safety 73/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #196CA4

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #196CA4 with

Medium Aquamarine Zaffre Sienna Platinum 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 #CEE2F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #193EA4 — 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 #196CA4 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: #196CA4;
  --color-base-rgb: 25 108 164;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.2% 0.116 244.3);
  --color-50: #F1F9FE;
  --color-100: #DBEEFB;
  --color-200: #B8DCF4;
  --color-300: #88C1E7;
  --color-400: #5CA5D6;
  --color-500: #3987BC;
  --color-600: #336A8F;
  --color-700: #2A4D65;
  --color-800: #1F3442;
  --color-900: #152129;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lapis-lazuli: {
    50: '#F1F9FE',
    100: '#DBEEFB',
    200: '#B8DCF4',
    300: '#88C1E7',
    400: '#5CA5D6',
    500: '#3987BC',
    600: '#336A8F',
    700: '#2A4D65',
    800: '#1F3442',
    900: '#152129',
  },
}

$base: #196CA4;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F9FE;
$base-100: #DBEEFB;
$base-200: #B8DCF4;
$base-300: #88C1E7;
$base-400: #5CA5D6;
$base-500: #3987BC;
$base-600: #336A8F;
$base-700: #2A4D65;
$base-800: #1F3442;
$base-900: #152129;
$base-hover: #145783;
$base-subtle: #B4D4EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#196CA4",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F9FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBEEFB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B8DCF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#88C1E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5CA5D6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3987BC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#336A8F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A4D65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3442",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152129",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #196CA4

Color Lab

Pairs with #196CA4

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export