What color is #238ABE?

#238ABE is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(35, 138, 190), and in HSL hsl(200, 69%, 44%).

Is #238ABE accessible as text?

On white, #238ABE has a contrast ratio of 3.85:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.45:1 (passes). For text placed on #238ABE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #238ABE?

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

What colors go well with #238ABE?

#238ABE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BE5623. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #238ABE below.

Is #238ABE good for buttons?

#238ABE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #238ABE — white text only reaches 3.85:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #238ABE the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #238ABE is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#238ABE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #238ABE

Not just a swatch — here's how #238ABE works with other colors. Named schemes with #238ABE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #238ABE 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 #238ABE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #5CAFDF

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 #238ABE Secondary #6E5215 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 Anchor #57233C

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 #238ABE 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 #238ABE Secondary #93B0C2 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 #238ABE 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 15/100

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 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 32/100

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 26/100

Low

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

Print safety 70/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #238ABE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #238ABE with

Medium Aquamarine Egyptian Blue Burnt Orange 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 #D4E7F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2356BE — 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 #238ABE 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: #238ABE;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 138 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.1% 0.119 236.6);
  --color-50: #F2F9FD;
  --color-100: #DCF0F9;
  --color-200: #BAE0F2;
  --color-300: #8BC6E4;
  --color-400: #60ACD2;
  --color-500: #3E8FB7;
  --color-600: #366F8C;
  --color-700: #2C5163;
  --color-800: #203641;
  --color-900: #152228;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F9FD',
    100: '#DCF0F9',
    200: '#BAE0F2',
    300: '#8BC6E4',
    400: '#60ACD2',
    500: '#3E8FB7',
    600: '#366F8C',
    700: '#2C5163',
    800: '#203641',
    900: '#152228',
  },
}

$base: #238ABE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F9FD;
$base-100: #DCF0F9;
$base-200: #BAE0F2;
$base-300: #8BC6E4;
$base-400: #60ACD2;
$base-500: #3E8FB7;
$base-600: #366F8C;
$base-700: #2C5163;
$base-800: #203641;
$base-900: #152228;
$base-hover: #1C6E98;
$base-subtle: #BEDCEB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#238ABE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F9FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCF0F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BAE0F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8BC6E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#60ACD2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3E8FB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#366F8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C5163",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203641",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152228",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #238ABE

Color Lab

Pairs with #238ABE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export