What color is #2E8AAE?

#2E8AAE is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(46, 138, 174), and in HSL hsl(197, 58%, 43%).

Is #2E8AAE accessible as text?

On white, #2E8AAE has a contrast ratio of 3.92:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.36:1 (passes). For text placed on #2E8AAE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2E8AAE?

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

What colors go well with #2E8AAE?

#2E8AAE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AD522E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #2E8AAE below.

Is #2E8AAE good for buttons?

#2E8AAE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #2E8AAE — white text only reaches 3.92:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #2E8AAE the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #2E8AAE is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#2E8AAE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2E8AAE

Not just a swatch — here's how #2E8AAE works with other colors. Named schemes with #2E8AAE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2E8AAE 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 #2E8AAE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #62AED0

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 #2E8AAE 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 #2E8AAE 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 #2E8AAE Secondary #93AEBB 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 #2E8AAE 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 20/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

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 52/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 87/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 31/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #2E8AAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2E8AAE with

Medium Aquamarine Cobalt Blue Sienna 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 4.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6E7EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2E5FAD — 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 #2E8AAE 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: #2E8AAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 46 138 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.6% 0.100 228.4);
  --color-50: #F2F9FC;
  --color-100: #DEF0F7;
  --color-200: #BFE0EE;
  --color-300: #92C8DD;
  --color-400: #69AEC9;
  --color-500: #4791AD;
  --color-600: #3D7185;
  --color-700: #30525F;
  --color-800: #23363E;
  --color-900: #172226;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F9FC',
    100: '#DEF0F7',
    200: '#BFE0EE',
    300: '#92C8DD',
    400: '#69AEC9',
    500: '#4791AD',
    600: '#3D7185',
    700: '#30525F',
    800: '#23363E',
    900: '#172226',
  },
}

$base: #2E8AAE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F9FC;
$base-100: #DEF0F7;
$base-200: #BFE0EE;
$base-300: #92C8DD;
$base-400: #69AEC9;
$base-500: #4791AD;
$base-600: #3D7185;
$base-700: #30525F;
$base-800: #23363E;
$base-900: #172226;
$base-hover: #256E8B;
$base-subtle: #C0DCE7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2E8AAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F9FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEF0F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BFE0EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#92C8DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#69AEC9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4791AD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3D7185",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#30525F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23363E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#172226",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2E8AAE

Color Lab

Pairs with #2E8AAE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export