What color is #388CBC?

#388CBC is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(56, 140, 188), and in HSL hsl(202, 54%, 48%).

Is #388CBC accessible as text?

On white, #388CBC has a contrast ratio of 3.72:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.65:1 (passes). For text placed on #388CBC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #388CBC?

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

What colors go well with #388CBC?

#388CBC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BC6938. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #388CBC below.

Is #388CBC good for buttons?

#388CBC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #388CBC — white text only reaches 3.72:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #388CBC the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #388CBC is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#388CBC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #388CBC

Not just a swatch — here's how #388CBC works with other colors. Named schemes with #388CBC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #388CBC Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #388CBC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #69B1DE

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 #388CBC Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 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 #388CBC Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592246 Accent #E4C2CC 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 #388CBC Secondary #98B2C3 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 #388CBC 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 18/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

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 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 29/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 86/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 30/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 73/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #388CBC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #388CBC with

Medium Aquamarine Cerulean 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 5.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DAE7EF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3860BC — 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 #388CBC at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #388CBC;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 140 188;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(61.0% 0.108 237.5);
  --color-50: #F3F9FC;
  --color-100: #DFEEF6;
  --color-200: #C0DCEC;
  --color-300: #95C1DA;
  --color-400: #6CA5C6;
  --color-500: #4B87AA;
  --color-600: #3F6A83;
  --color-700: #324D5D;
  --color-800: #23343D;
  --color-900: #172126;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ocean-blue: {
    50: '#F3F9FC',
    100: '#DFEEF6',
    200: '#C0DCEC',
    300: '#95C1DA',
    400: '#6CA5C6',
    500: '#4B87AA',
    600: '#3F6A83',
    700: '#324D5D',
    800: '#23343D',
    900: '#172126',
  },
}

$base: #388CBC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F9FC;
$base-100: #DFEEF6;
$base-200: #C0DCEC;
$base-300: #95C1DA;
$base-400: #6CA5C6;
$base-500: #4B87AA;
$base-600: #3F6A83;
$base-700: #324D5D;
$base-800: #23343D;
$base-900: #172126;
$base-hover: #2D7097;
$base-subtle: #C7DCE8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#388CBC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F9FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFEEF6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C0DCEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95C1DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6CA5C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4B87AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3F6A83",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#324D5D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23343D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#172126",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #388CBC

Color Lab

Pairs with #388CBC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export