What color is #2188AE?

#2188AE is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(33, 136, 174), and in HSL hsl(196, 68%, 41%).

Is #2188AE accessible as text?

On white, #2188AE has a contrast ratio of 4.04:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.20:1 (passes). For text placed on #2188AE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2188AE?

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

What colors go well with #2188AE?

#2188AE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B04721. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #2188AE below.

Is #2188AE good for buttons?

#2188AE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #2188AE — white text only reaches 4.04:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #2188AE the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #2188AE is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#2188AE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2188AE

Not just a swatch — here's how #2188AE works with other colors. Named schemes with #2188AE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2188AE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #2188AE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #5AACD0

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 #2188AE Secondary #6F5216 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233D

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 #2188AE Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592247 Accent #E4C2CC 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 #2188AE Secondary #90ACBA 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #2188AE 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 49/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

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 51/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 49/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 29/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 90/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 29/100

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 #2188AE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2188AE with

Medium Aquamarine Egyptian Blue Rust 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 4.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D2E8F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #215AB0 — 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 #2188AE 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: #2188AE;
  --color-base-rgb: 33 136 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.8% 0.106 228.4);
  --color-50: #F2FAFD;
  --color-100: #DCF1F9;
  --color-200: #BBE3F2;
  --color-300: #8CCCE3;
  --color-400: #61B3D1;
  --color-500: #3F96B6;
  --color-600: #37758B;
  --color-700: #2C5463;
  --color-800: #203841;
  --color-900: #152328;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2FAFD',
    100: '#DCF1F9',
    200: '#BBE3F2',
    300: '#8CCCE3',
    400: '#61B3D1',
    500: '#3F96B6',
    600: '#37758B',
    700: '#2C5463',
    800: '#203841',
    900: '#152328',
  },
}

$base: #2188AE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2FAFD;
$base-100: #DCF1F9;
$base-200: #BBE3F2;
$base-300: #8CCCE3;
$base-400: #61B3D1;
$base-500: #3F96B6;
$base-600: #37758B;
$base-700: #2C5463;
$base-800: #203841;
$base-900: #152328;
$base-hover: #1B6E8D;
$base-subtle: #BBDDE9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2188AE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCF1F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBE3F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8CCCE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#61B3D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3F96B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#37758B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C5463",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203841",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152328",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2188AE

Color Lab

Pairs with #2188AE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export