What color is #338BCD?

#338BCD is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(51, 139, 205), and in HSL hsl(206, 61%, 50%).

Is #338BCD accessible as text?

On white, #338BCD has a contrast ratio of 3.67:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.72:1 (passes). For text placed on #338BCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #338BCD?

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

What colors go well with #338BCD?

#338BCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CD7532. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #338BCD below.

Is #338BCD good for buttons?

#338BCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #338BCD — white text only reaches 3.67:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #338BCD the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #338BCD is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#338BCD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #338BCD

Not just a swatch — here's how #338BCD works with other colors. Named schemes with #338BCD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #338BCD Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #20344A

Ocean 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 #338BCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #66B1EE

Ocean 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 Ocean Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #338BCD Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233C

Ocean 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 #338BCD Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2246 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B30

Ocean 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 #338BCD Secondary #98B3CB Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Ocean 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 Ocean Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #338BCD 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 13/100

Cool

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

Softness 48/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 39/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 43/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 45/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 35/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 88/100

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 70/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #338BCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #338BCD with

Medium Turquoise Cerulean 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 5.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DAE7F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3256CD — 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 #338BCD 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: #338BCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 51 139 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(61.5% 0.130 245.1);
  --color-50: #F2F8FC;
  --color-100: #DDECF8;
  --color-200: #BDDAEF;
  --color-300: #90BDDF;
  --color-400: #67A0CB;
  --color-500: #4582B0;
  --color-600: #3B6687;
  --color-700: #2F4B60;
  --color-800: #22323F;
  --color-900: #162027;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ocean-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FC',
    100: '#DDECF8',
    200: '#BDDAEF',
    300: '#90BDDF',
    400: '#67A0CB',
    500: '#4582B0',
    600: '#3B6687',
    700: '#2F4B60',
    800: '#22323F',
    900: '#162027',
  },
}

$base: #338BCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FC;
$base-100: #DDECF8;
$base-200: #BDDAEF;
$base-300: #90BDDF;
$base-400: #67A0CB;
$base-500: #4582B0;
$base-600: #3B6687;
$base-700: #2F4B60;
$base-800: #22323F;
$base-900: #162027;
$base-hover: #286EA4;
$base-subtle: #C7DBEA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#338BCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDECF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BDDAEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#90BDDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#67A0CB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4582B0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3B6687",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2F4B60",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#22323F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#162027",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #338BCD

Color Lab

Pairs with #338BCD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export