What color is #3498DB?

#3498DB is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(52, 152, 219), and in HSL hsl(204, 70%, 53%).

Is #3498DB accessible as text?

On white, #3498DB has a contrast ratio of 3.15:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 6.66:1 (passes). For text placed on #3498DB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3498DB?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-500 (#00A6F4).

What colors go well with #3498DB?

#3498DB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DB7633. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3498DB below.

Is #3498DB good for buttons?

#3498DB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3498DB — white text only reaches 3.15:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3498DB the same as CSS cornflowerblue?

No — #3498DB is not the CSS named color cornflowerblue, but cornflowerblue (#6495ED) is the closest CSS named color.

#3498DB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3498DB

Not just a swatch — here's how #3498DB works with other colors. Named schemes with #3498DB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3498DB Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Carolina Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #3498DB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Carolina Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #3498DB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #6ABEFC

Carolina 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 Carolina Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #3498DB Secondary #A2C0D8 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Carolina 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 Carolina Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #3498DB Anchor #3B2924 Surface #EAE5D0 Accent #7A9E77 Secondary #393933

Carolina Blue anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #3498DB 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 11/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 35/100

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 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 42/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 52/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 77/100

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 68/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #3498DB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3498DB with

Turquoise Ultramarine Ochre 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 5.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DBE9F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3360DB — 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 #3498DB 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: #3498DB;
  --color-base-rgb: 52 152 219;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(65.3% 0.135 242.7);
  --color-50: #F1F9FD;
  --color-100: #DBEEFA;
  --color-200: #BADCF3;
  --color-300: #8AC1E5;
  --color-400: #5FA5D3;
  --color-500: #3D87B8;
  --color-600: #356A8C;
  --color-700: #2B4D64;
  --color-800: #203441;
  --color-900: #152028;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F1F9FD',
    100: '#DBEEFA',
    200: '#BADCF3',
    300: '#8AC1E5',
    400: '#5FA5D3',
    500: '#3D87B8',
    600: '#356A8C',
    700: '#2B4D64',
    800: '#203441',
    900: '#152028',
  },
}

$base: #3498DB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F9FD;
$base-100: #DBEEFA;
$base-200: #BADCF3;
$base-300: #8AC1E5;
$base-400: #5FA5D3;
$base-500: #3D87B8;
$base-600: #356A8C;
$base-700: #2B4D64;
$base-800: #203441;
$base-900: #152028;
$base-hover: #207BB8;
$base-subtle: #C8DFEE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3498DB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F9FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBEEFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BADCF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AC1E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5FA5D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3D87B8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#356A8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B4D64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203441",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152028",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3498DB

Color Lab

Pairs with #3498DB

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export