What color is #1986A8?

#1986A8 is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(25, 134, 168), and in HSL hsl(194, 74%, 38%).

Is #1986A8 accessible as text?

On white, #1986A8 has a contrast ratio of 4.19:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.02:1 (passes). For text placed on #1986A8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #1986A8?

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

What colors go well with #1986A8?

#1986A8 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #A93B19. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #1986A8 below.

Is #1986A8 good for buttons?

#1986A8 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #1986A8 — white text only reaches 4.19:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #1986A8 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #1986A8 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#1986A8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #1986A8

Not just a swatch — here's how #1986A8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #1986A8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #1986A8 Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

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 #1986A8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #56AACA

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 #1986A8 Secondary #6F5116 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233E

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 #1986A8 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592248 Accent #E4C2CD 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 #1986A8 Secondary #8DA9B6 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.

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Color Lab

How #1986A8 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 48/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 42/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 53/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 50/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 28/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 91/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 28/100

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 #1986A8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #1986A8 with

Emerald Green Egyptian Blue Chestnut Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

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 4.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CFE8F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1957A9 — 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 #1986A8 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: #1986A8;
  --color-base-rgb: 25 134 168;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(57.9% 0.104 225.2);
  --color-50: #F1FBFE;
  --color-100: #DBF3FB;
  --color-200: #B8E6F4;
  --color-300: #88D1E7;
  --color-400: #5CBAD6;
  --color-500: #399DBC;
  --color-600: #33798F;
  --color-700: #2A5765;
  --color-800: #1F3A42;
  --color-900: #152429;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F1FBFE',
    100: '#DBF3FB',
    200: '#B8E6F4',
    300: '#88D1E7',
    400: '#5CBAD6',
    500: '#399DBC',
    600: '#33798F',
    700: '#2A5765',
    800: '#1F3A42',
    900: '#152429',
  },
}

$base: #1986A8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FBFE;
$base-100: #DBF3FB;
$base-200: #B8E6F4;
$base-300: #88D1E7;
$base-400: #5CBAD6;
$base-500: #399DBC;
$base-600: #33798F;
$base-700: #2A5765;
$base-800: #1F3A42;
$base-900: #152429;
$base-hover: #146C87;
$base-subtle: #B5DEEA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#1986A8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FBFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF3FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B8E6F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#88D1E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5CBAD6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#399DBC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#33798F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A5765",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3A42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152429",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #1986A8

Color Lab

Pairs with #1986A8

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export