What color is #218ABA?

#218ABA is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(33, 138, 186), and in HSL hsl(199, 70%, 43%).

Is #218ABA accessible as text?

On white, #218ABA has a contrast ratio of 3.88:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.41:1 (passes). For text placed on #218ABA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #218ABA?

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

What colors go well with #218ABA?

#218ABA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BA5221. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #218ABA below.

Is #218ABA good for buttons?

#218ABA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #218ABA — white text only reaches 3.88:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #218ABA the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #218ABA is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#218ABA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #218ABA

Not just a swatch — here's how #218ABA works with other colors. Named schemes with #218ABA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #218ABA Accent #A6C4C0 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 #218ABA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #5BAFDB

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 #218ABA Secondary #6F5216 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #57233D

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 #218ABA 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 #218ABA Secondary #92AFC0 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 #218ABA 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 16/100

Cool

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

Softness 48/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

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 48/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 31/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 90/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 27/100

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 #218ABA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #218ABA with

Medium Aquamarine Egyptian Blue Mahogany Platinum Charcoal

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 4.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D3E7F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2157BA — 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 #218ABA 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: #218ABA;
  --color-base-rgb: 33 138 186;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.9% 0.116 234.2);
  --color-50: #F1FAFD;
  --color-100: #DBF0FA;
  --color-200: #BAE1F3;
  --color-300: #8AC8E5;
  --color-400: #5FAED3;
  --color-500: #3D91B8;
  --color-600: #35718C;
  --color-700: #2B5264;
  --color-800: #203741;
  --color-900: #152228;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F1FAFD',
    100: '#DBF0FA',
    200: '#BAE1F3',
    300: '#8AC8E5',
    400: '#5FAED3',
    500: '#3D91B8',
    600: '#35718C',
    700: '#2B5264',
    800: '#203741',
    900: '#152228',
  },
}

$base: #218ABA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FAFD;
$base-100: #DBF0FA;
$base-200: #BAE1F3;
$base-300: #8AC8E5;
$base-400: #5FAED3;
$base-500: #3D91B8;
$base-600: #35718C;
$base-700: #2B5264;
$base-800: #203741;
$base-900: #152228;
$base-hover: #1A6E95;
$base-subtle: #BCDCEB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#218ABA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF0FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BAE1F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AC8E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5FAED3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3D91B8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#35718C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B5264",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203741",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152228",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #218ABA

Color Lab

Pairs with #218ABA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export