What color is #3C86A1?

#3C86A1 is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(60, 134, 161), and in HSL hsl(196, 46%, 43%).

Is #3C86A1 accessible as text?

On white, #3C86A1 has a contrast ratio of 4.10:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.12:1 (passes). For text placed on #3C86A1, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #3C86A1?

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

What colors go well with #3C86A1?

#3C86A1 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #A0563B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #3C86A1 below.

Is #3C86A1 good for buttons?

#3C86A1 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #3C86A1 — white text only reaches 4.10:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #3C86A1 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #3C86A1 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#3C86A1 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #3C86A1

Not just a swatch — here's how #3C86A1 works with other colors. Named schemes with #3C86A1 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #3C86A1 Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #3C86A1 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

Steel Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #3C86A1 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #6AAAC3

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 #3C86A1 Secondary #6F5116 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 Anchor #56233E

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #3C86A1 Secondary #93AAB4 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 #3C86A1 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 25/100

Cool

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

Softness 51/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 55/100

Moderate

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

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 83/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 35/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 78/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #3C86A1

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #3C86A1 with

Tiffany Blue Dark Slate Blue 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 4.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8E6EC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3B64A0 — 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 #3C86A1 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: #3C86A1;
  --color-base-rgb: 60 134 161;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.4% 0.084 225.0);
  --color-50: #F3F9FB;
  --color-100: #E1EFF5;
  --color-200: #C4DFE9;
  --color-300: #9AC5D5;
  --color-400: #73ABBF;
  --color-500: #528DA3;
  --color-600: #446E7E;
  --color-700: #35505A;
  --color-800: #25363C;
  --color-900: #182225;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F9FB',
    100: '#E1EFF5',
    200: '#C4DFE9',
    300: '#9AC5D5',
    400: '#73ABBF',
    500: '#528DA3',
    600: '#446E7E',
    700: '#35505A',
    800: '#25363C',
    900: '#182225',
  },
}

$base: #3C86A1;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F9FB;
$base-100: #E1EFF5;
$base-200: #C4DFE9;
$base-300: #9AC5D5;
$base-400: #73ABBF;
$base-500: #528DA3;
$base-600: #446E7E;
$base-700: #35505A;
$base-800: #25363C;
$base-900: #182225;
$base-hover: #2F6B80;
$base-subtle: #C4DBE3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#3C86A1",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EFF5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4DFE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9AC5D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#73ABBF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#528DA3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#446E7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#35505A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#25363C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#182225",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #3C86A1

Color Lab

Pairs with #3C86A1

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export