What color is #3B85CE?

#3B85CE is a medium blue. In RGB it is rgb(59, 133, 206), and in HSL hsl(210, 60%, 52%).

Is #3B85CE accessible as text?

On white, #3B85CE has a contrast ratio of 3.87:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.43:1 (passes). For text placed on #3B85CE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3B85CE?

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

What colors go well with #3B85CE?

#3B85CE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CE853B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3B85CE below.

Is #3B85CE good for buttons?

#3B85CE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3B85CE — white text only reaches 3.87:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3B85CE the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #3B85CE is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#3B85CE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3B85CE

Not just a swatch — here's how #3B85CE works with other colors. Named schemes with #3B85CE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3B85CE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #3B85CE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #6AABEF

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 #3B85CE Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

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 #3B85CE Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2145 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B2F

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 #3B85CE Secondary #97AFC9 Support #959386 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 #3B85CE 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 46/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

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 43/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 36/100

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 22/100

Low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 71/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #3B85CE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3B85CE with

Medium Turquoise Cerulean Peru 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 4.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DCE7F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3B54CE — 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 #3B85CE 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: #3B85CE;
  --color-base-rgb: 59 133 206;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.5% 0.133 250.7);
  --color-50: #F2F7FC;
  --color-100: #DEEBF8;
  --color-200: #BED6EF;
  --color-300: #91B8DE;
  --color-400: #6799CB;
  --color-500: #467AAF;
  --color-600: #3C6186;
  --color-700: #2F4760;
  --color-800: #22303F;
  --color-900: #161F27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F7FC',
    100: '#DEEBF8',
    200: '#BED6EF',
    300: '#91B8DE',
    400: '#6799CB',
    500: '#467AAF',
    600: '#3C6186',
    700: '#2F4760',
    800: '#22303F',
    900: '#161F27',
  },
}

$base: #3B85CE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F7FC;
$base-100: #DEEBF8;
$base-200: #BED6EF;
$base-300: #91B8DE;
$base-400: #6799CB;
$base-500: #467AAF;
$base-600: #3C6186;
$base-700: #2F4760;
$base-800: #22303F;
$base-900: #161F27;
$base-hover: #2A6AAA;
$base-subtle: #CADAEB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3B85CE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F7FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEBF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BED6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#91B8DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6799CB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#467AAF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3C6186",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2F4760",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#22303F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161F27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3B85CE

Color Lab

Pairs with #3B85CE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export