What color is #488BB5?

#488BB5 is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(72, 139, 181), and in HSL hsl(203, 43%, 50%).

Is #488BB5 accessible as text?

On white, #488BB5 has a contrast ratio of 3.73:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.64:1 (passes). For text placed on #488BB5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #488BB5?

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

What colors go well with #488BB5?

#488BB5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B67349. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #488BB5 below.

Is #488BB5 good for buttons?

#488BB5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #488BB5 — white text only reaches 3.73:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #488BB5 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #488BB5 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#488BB5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #488BB5

Not just a swatch — here's how #488BB5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #488BB5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #488BB5 Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Ocean 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 #488BB5 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #74B0D7

Ocean 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 Ocean Blue.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #488BB5 Secondary #7F4439 Surface #E2DDC0 Accent #385245 Anchor #57233C

Ocean 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 #488BB5 Surface #EEE9D6 Anchor #592246 Accent #E4C2CC Secondary #322B30

Ocean 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 #488BB5 Secondary #9CB2C1 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Ocean 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 Ocean Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #488BB5 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 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 39/100

Low

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

Naturalness 0/100

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 35/100

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 #488BB5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #488BB5 with

Medium Aquamarine Cerulean Copper Platinum 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 5.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DEE7ED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4968B6 — 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 #488BB5 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

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: #488BB5;
  --color-base-rgb: 72 139 181;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(61.0% 0.093 238.4);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1EDF4;
  --color-200: #C5DAE8;
  --color-300: #9CBED3;
  --color-400: #75A1BD;
  --color-500: #5583A0;
  --color-600: #46677C;
  --color-700: #364B59;
  --color-800: #26333B;
  --color-900: #192024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ocean-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1EDF4',
    200: '#C5DAE8',
    300: '#9CBED3',
    400: '#75A1BD',
    500: '#5583A0',
    600: '#46677C',
    700: '#364B59',
    800: '#26333B',
    900: '#192024',
  },
}

$base: #488BB5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1EDF4;
$base-200: #C5DAE8;
$base-300: #9CBED3;
$base-400: #75A1BD;
$base-500: #5583A0;
$base-600: #46677C;
$base-700: #364B59;
$base-800: #26333B;
$base-900: #192024;
$base-hover: #3A7092;
$base-subtle: #CCDCE5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#488BB5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EDF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5DAE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CBED3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#75A1BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5583A0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#46677C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364B59",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26333B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #488BB5

Color Lab

Pairs with #488BB5

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export