What color is #2F81BC?

#2F81BC is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(47, 129, 188), and in HSL hsl(205, 60%, 46%).

Is #2F81BC accessible as text?

On white, #2F81BC has a contrast ratio of 4.21:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.99:1 (passes). For text placed on #2F81BC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2F81BC?

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

What colors go well with #2F81BC?

#2F81BC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BC6A2F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #2F81BC below.

Is #2F81BC good for buttons?

#2F81BC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #2F81BC — white text only reaches 4.21:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #2F81BC the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #2F81BC is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#2F81BC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2F81BC

Not just a swatch — here's how #2F81BC works with other colors. Named schemes with #2F81BC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2F81BC Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 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 #2F81BC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #60A6DD

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 #2F81BC Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 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 #2F81BC Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #5A2246 Accent #E4C2CB 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 #2F81BC Secondary #8FA9BE 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.

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Color Lab

How #2F81BC 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 47/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 42/100

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 49/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 32/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 94/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 24/100

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 #2F81BC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2F81BC with

Medium Turquoise Egyptian Blue Copper Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

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 4.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8E5EF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2F52BC — 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 #2F81BC at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #2F81BC;
  --color-base-rgb: 47 129 188;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.1% 0.120 244.0);
  --color-50: #F2F8FC;
  --color-100: #DEEDF8;
  --color-200: #BEDAEF;
  --color-300: #91BEDE;
  --color-400: #67A1CB;
  --color-500: #4683AF;
  --color-600: #3C6786;
  --color-700: #2F4B60;
  --color-800: #22333F;
  --color-900: #162027;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FC',
    100: '#DEEDF8',
    200: '#BEDAEF',
    300: '#91BEDE',
    400: '#67A1CB',
    500: '#4683AF',
    600: '#3C6786',
    700: '#2F4B60',
    800: '#22333F',
    900: '#162027',
  },
}

$base: #2F81BC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FC;
$base-100: #DEEDF8;
$base-200: #BEDAEF;
$base-300: #91BEDE;
$base-400: #67A1CB;
$base-500: #4683AF;
$base-600: #3C6786;
$base-700: #2F4B60;
$base-800: #22333F;
$base-900: #162027;
$base-hover: #266796;
$base-subtle: #C3D9E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2F81BC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEDF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BEDAEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#91BEDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#67A1CB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4683AF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3C6786",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2F4B60",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#22333F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#162027",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2F81BC

Color Lab

Pairs with #2F81BC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export