What color is #196FA1?

#196FA1 is a dark, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(25, 111, 161), and in HSL hsl(202, 73%, 36%).

Is #196FA1 accessible as text?

On white, #196FA1 has a contrast ratio of 5.48:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.83:1 (fails). For text placed on #196FA1, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #196FA1?

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

What colors go well with #196FA1?

#196FA1 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #9F4A19. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #196FA1 below.

Is #196FA1 good for buttons?

#196FA1 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #196FA1 — black text only reaches 3.83:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #196FA1 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #196FA1 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#196FA1 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #196FA1

Not just a swatch — here's how #196FA1 works with other colors. Named schemes with #196FA1 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #196FA1 Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #196FA1 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #4E93C2

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 #196FA1 Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 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 #196FA1 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 #196FA1 Secondary #7D95A7 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 #196FA1 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 18/100

Cool

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

Softness 43/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 48/100

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 51/100

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 30/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 96/100

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 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #196FA1

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #196FA1 with

Tiffany Blue Klein Blue Brown 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 5.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CDE3F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #19419F — 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 #196FA1 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #196FA1;
  --color-base-rgb: 25 111 161;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.8% 0.110 240.6);
  --color-50: #F1F9FD;
  --color-100: #DBEFFA;
  --color-200: #B9DEF4;
  --color-300: #88C4E7;
  --color-400: #5DA9D5;
  --color-500: #3A8CBB;
  --color-600: #336D8E;
  --color-700: #2A4F65;
  --color-800: #1F3542;
  --color-900: #152128;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lapis-lazuli: {
    50: '#F1F9FD',
    100: '#DBEFFA',
    200: '#B9DEF4',
    300: '#88C4E7',
    400: '#5DA9D5',
    500: '#3A8CBB',
    600: '#336D8E',
    700: '#2A4F65',
    800: '#1F3542',
    900: '#152128',
  },
}

$base: #196FA1;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F9FD;
$base-100: #DBEFFA;
$base-200: #B9DEF4;
$base-300: #88C4E7;
$base-400: #5DA9D5;
$base-500: #3A8CBB;
$base-600: #336D8E;
$base-700: #2A4F65;
$base-800: #1F3542;
$base-900: #152128;
$base-hover: #14587F;
$base-subtle: #B3D5E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#196FA1",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F9FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBEFFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9DEF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#88C4E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5DA9D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3A8CBB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#336D8E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A4F65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3542",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152128",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #196FA1

Color Lab

Pairs with #196FA1

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export