What color is #3C80A9?

#3C80A9 is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(60, 128, 169), and in HSL hsl(203, 48%, 45%).

Is #3C80A9 accessible as text?

On white, #3C80A9 has a contrast ratio of 4.33:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.85:1 (passes). For text placed on #3C80A9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3C80A9?

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

What colors go well with #3C80A9?

#3C80A9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AA663C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3C80A9 below.

Is #3C80A9 good for buttons?

#3C80A9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3C80A9 — white text only reaches 4.33:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3C80A9 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #3C80A9 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#3C80A9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3C80A9

Not just a swatch — here's how #3C80A9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #3C80A9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3C80A9 Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #3C80A9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #69A4CB

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 #3C80A9 Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 Anchor #57233C

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 #3C80A9 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592246 Accent #E4C2CC Secondary #322B30

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 #3C80A9 Secondary #90A6B5 Support #969386 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 #3C80A9 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 23/100

Cool

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

Softness 49/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 42/100

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 57/100

Moderate

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 49/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 88/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 31/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #3C80A9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3C80A9 with

Tiffany Blue Cobalt Blue Ginger Platinum Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 4.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9E5ED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3C5BAA — 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 #3C80A9 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #3C80A9;
  --color-base-rgb: 60 128 169;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(57.4% 0.093 237.9);
  --color-50: #F3F8FB;
  --color-100: #E0EDF5;
  --color-200: #C3DBEA;
  --color-300: #99BFD7;
  --color-400: #71A2C1;
  --color-500: #5084A5;
  --color-600: #43687F;
  --color-700: #344C5B;
  --color-800: #25333C;
  --color-900: #182025;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F8FB',
    100: '#E0EDF5',
    200: '#C3DBEA',
    300: '#99BFD7',
    400: '#71A2C1',
    500: '#5084A5',
    600: '#43687F',
    700: '#344C5B',
    800: '#25333C',
    900: '#182025',
  },
}

$base: #3C80A9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F8FB;
$base-100: #E0EDF5;
$base-200: #C3DBEA;
$base-300: #99BFD7;
$base-400: #71A2C1;
$base-500: #5084A5;
$base-600: #43687F;
$base-700: #344C5B;
$base-800: #25333C;
$base-900: #182025;
$base-hover: #306688;
$base-subtle: #C6D9E4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3C80A9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0EDF5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C3DBEA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#99BFD7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#71A2C1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5084A5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#43687F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#344C5B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#25333C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#182025",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3C80A9

Color Lab

Pairs with #3C80A9

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export