What color is #3C85CA?

#3C85CA is a medium blue. In RGB it is rgb(60, 133, 202), and in HSL hsl(209, 57%, 51%).

Is #3C85CA accessible as text?

On white, #3C85CA has a contrast ratio of 3.89:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.40:1 (passes). For text placed on #3C85CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3C85CA?

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

What colors go well with #3C85CA?

#3C85CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C9803B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3C85CA below.

Is #3C85CA good for buttons?

#3C85CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3C85CA — white text only reaches 3.89:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3C85CA the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #3C85CA is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#3C85CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3C85CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #3C85CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #3C85CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3C85CA 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 #3C85CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #6AABEB

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 #3C85CA Secondary #7F4538 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 #3C85CA Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2245 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 #3C85CA Secondary #97AEC7 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 #3C85CA 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 14/100

Cool

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

Softness 47/100

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 44/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 35/100

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 23/100

Low

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

Print safety 72/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #3C85CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3C85CA with

Medium Turquoise Cerulean Bronze 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 #DCE6F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3B55C9 — 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 #3C85CA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #3C85CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 60 133 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.3% 0.128 249.7);
  --color-50: #F3F8FC;
  --color-100: #DEEBF7;
  --color-200: #BFD7ED;
  --color-300: #93B9DC;
  --color-400: #6A9BC8;
  --color-500: #487CAD;
  --color-600: #3D6284;
  --color-700: #30485E;
  --color-800: #23313E;
  --color-900: #171F26;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F8FC',
    100: '#DEEBF7',
    200: '#BFD7ED',
    300: '#93B9DC',
    400: '#6A9BC8',
    500: '#487CAD',
    600: '#3D6284',
    700: '#30485E',
    800: '#23313E',
    900: '#171F26',
  },
}

$base: #3C85CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F8FC;
$base-100: #DEEBF7;
$base-200: #BFD7ED;
$base-300: #93B9DC;
$base-400: #6A9BC8;
$base-500: #487CAD;
$base-600: #3D6284;
$base-700: #30485E;
$base-800: #23313E;
$base-900: #171F26;
$base-hover: #2D6AA3;
$base-subtle: #C9DAEA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3C85CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F8FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEBF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BFD7ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#93B9DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6A9BC8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#487CAD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3D6284",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#30485E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23313E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171F26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3C85CA

Color Lab

Pairs with #3C85CA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export