What color is #388EAE?

#388EAE is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(56, 142, 174), and in HSL hsl(196, 51%, 45%).

Is #388EAE accessible as text?

On white, #388EAE 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 #388EAE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #388EAE?

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

What colors go well with #388EAE?

#388EAE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AD5738. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #388EAE below.

Is #388EAE good for buttons?

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

Is #388EAE the same as CSS steelblue?

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

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

Palettes built on #388EAE

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #388EAE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

Bondi 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 #388EAE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #69B2D0

Bondi 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 Bondi Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #388EAE Secondary #6F5116 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233D

Bondi 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 #388EAE Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592248 Accent #E4C2CC Secondary #322B30

Bondi 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 #388EAE Secondary #98B2BE Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Bondi 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 Bondi Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #388EAE 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 22/100

Cool

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 39/100

Low

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 53/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 82/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 34/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 75/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #388EAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #388EAE with

Medium Aquamarine Cerulean Sienna Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 #D9E8ED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3867AD — 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 #388EAE 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: #388EAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 142 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.8% 0.094 226.2);
  --color-50: #F3F9FC;
  --color-100: #E0F0F6;
  --color-200: #C1E0EB;
  --color-300: #97C7D9;
  --color-400: #6FADC3;
  --color-500: #4E8FA7;
  --color-600: #417081;
  --color-700: #33515C;
  --color-800: #24363D;
  --color-900: #182226;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bondi-blue: {
    50: '#F3F9FC',
    100: '#E0F0F6',
    200: '#C1E0EB',
    300: '#97C7D9',
    400: '#6FADC3',
    500: '#4E8FA7',
    600: '#417081',
    700: '#33515C',
    800: '#24363D',
    900: '#182226',
  },
}

$base: #388EAE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F9FC;
$base-100: #E0F0F6;
$base-200: #C1E0EB;
$base-300: #97C7D9;
$base-400: #6FADC3;
$base-500: #4E8FA7;
$base-600: #417081;
$base-700: #33515C;
$base-800: #24363D;
$base-900: #182226;
$base-hover: #2D728B;
$base-subtle: #C5DDE5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#388EAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F9FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0F0F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C1E0EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#97C7D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6FADC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4E8FA7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#417081",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#33515C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#24363D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#182226",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #388EAE

Color Lab

Pairs with #388EAE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export