What color is #3285BD?

#3285BD is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(50, 133, 189), and in HSL hsl(204, 58%, 47%).

Is #3285BD accessible as text?

On white, #3285BD has a contrast ratio of 4.02:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.23:1 (passes). For text placed on #3285BD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3285BD?

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

What colors go well with #3285BD?

#3285BD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BD6A32. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3285BD below.

Is #3285BD good for buttons?

#3285BD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3285BD — white text only reaches 4.02:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3285BD the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #3285BD is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#3285BD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3285BD

Not just a swatch — here's how #3285BD works with other colors. Named schemes with #3285BD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3285BD Accent #A5C4C0 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 #3285BD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #63AADE

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 #3285BD Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 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 #3285BD 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 #3285BD Secondary #93ACC0 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 #3285BD 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 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 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 91/100

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 72/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #3285BD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3285BD with

Medium Aquamarine Cobalt Blue Copper 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 4.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9E6EF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3257BD — 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 #3285BD 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: #3285BD;
  --color-base-rgb: 50 133 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.2% 0.116 242.2);
  --color-50: #F2F8FC;
  --color-100: #DEEDF7;
  --color-200: #BFDBEE;
  --color-300: #92BFDD;
  --color-400: #69A3C9;
  --color-500: #4785AD;
  --color-600: #3D6885;
  --color-700: #304C5F;
  --color-800: #23333E;
  --color-900: #172026;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FC',
    100: '#DEEDF7',
    200: '#BFDBEE',
    300: '#92BFDD',
    400: '#69A3C9',
    500: '#4785AD',
    600: '#3D6885',
    700: '#304C5F',
    800: '#23333E',
    900: '#172026',
  },
}

$base: #3285BD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FC;
$base-100: #DEEDF7;
$base-200: #BFDBEE;
$base-300: #92BFDD;
$base-400: #69A3C9;
$base-500: #4785AD;
$base-600: #3D6885;
$base-700: #304C5F;
$base-800: #23333E;
$base-900: #172026;
$base-hover: #286B97;
$base-subtle: #C5DAE8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3285BD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEDF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BFDBEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#92BFDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#69A3C9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4785AD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3D6885",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#304C5F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23333E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#172026",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3285BD

Color Lab

Pairs with #3285BD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export