What color is #2A85CF?

#2A85CF is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(42, 133, 207), and in HSL hsl(207, 66%, 49%).

Is #2A85CF accessible as text?

On white, #2A85CF has a contrast ratio of 3.92:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.35:1 (passes). For text placed on #2A85CF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2A85CF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-600 (#0084D1).

What colors go well with #2A85CF?

#2A85CF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CF752A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #2A85CF below.

Is #2A85CF good for buttons?

#2A85CF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #2A85CF — white text only reaches 3.92:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #2A85CF the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #2A85CF is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#2A85CF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2A85CF

Not just a swatch — here's how #2A85CF works with other colors. Named schemes with #2A85CF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2A85CF Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #2A85CF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #5FABF0

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 #2A85CF Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

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 #2A85CF Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2245 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B2F

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 #2A85CF Secondary #93AEC9 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 #2A85CF 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 10/100

Cool

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

Softness 45/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

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 41/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 38/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 92/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 19/100

Very low

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

Print safety 69/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #2A85CF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2A85CF with

Turquoise Medium Blue Ochre Gainsboro 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 4.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9E6F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2A4ECF — 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 #2A85CF at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

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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: #2A85CF;
  --color-base-rgb: 42 133 207;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.0% 0.140 247.8);
  --color-50: #F2F8FD;
  --color-100: #DCECF9;
  --color-200: #BBD9F1;
  --color-300: #8DBCE2;
  --color-400: #629ED0;
  --color-500: #4080B5;
  --color-600: #38658A;
  --color-700: #2D4A62;
  --color-800: #213240;
  --color-900: #161F28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FD',
    100: '#DCECF9',
    200: '#BBD9F1',
    300: '#8DBCE2',
    400: '#629ED0',
    500: '#4080B5',
    600: '#38658A',
    700: '#2D4A62',
    800: '#213240',
    900: '#161F28',
  },
}

$base: #2A85CF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FD;
$base-100: #DCECF9;
$base-200: #BBD9F1;
$base-300: #8DBCE2;
$base-400: #629ED0;
$base-500: #4080B5;
$base-600: #38658A;
$base-700: #2D4A62;
$base-800: #213240;
$base-900: #161F28;
$base-hover: #226BA6;
$base-subtle: #C4DAEC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2A85CF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCECF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBD9F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8DBCE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#629ED0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4080B5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#38658A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2D4A62",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#213240",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161F28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2A85CF

Color Lab

Pairs with #2A85CF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export