What color is #488CB9?

#488CB9 is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(72, 140, 185), and in HSL hsl(204, 45%, 50%).

Is #488CB9 accessible as text?

On white, #488CB9 has a contrast ratio of 3.67:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.73:1 (passes). For text placed on #488CB9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #488CB9?

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

What colors go well with #488CB9?

#488CB9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B97446. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #488CB9 below.

Is #488CB9 good for buttons?

#488CB9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #488CB9 — white text only reaches 3.67:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #488CB9 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #488CB9 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#488CB9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #488CB9

Not just a swatch — here's how #488CB9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #488CB9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #488CB9 Accent #A5C4C0 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 #488CB9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #75B1DB

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 #488CB9 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 #488CB9 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 #488CB9 Secondary #9DB3C3 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.

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Color Lab

How #488CB9 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 22/100

Cool

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 38/100

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 52/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 26/100

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 34/100

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 #488CB9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #488CB9 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 5.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DDE7EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4665B9 — 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 #488CB9 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: #488CB9;
  --color-base-rgb: 72 140 185;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(61.5% 0.097 239.9);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1EDF4;
  --color-200: #C4DAE8;
  --color-300: #9BBDD5;
  --color-400: #74A0BE;
  --color-500: #5382A2;
  --color-600: #45677D;
  --color-700: #354B5A;
  --color-800: #26333B;
  --color-900: #192025;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ocean-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1EDF4',
    200: '#C4DAE8',
    300: '#9BBDD5',
    400: '#74A0BE',
    500: '#5382A2',
    600: '#45677D',
    700: '#354B5A',
    800: '#26333B',
    900: '#192025',
  },
}

$base: #488CB9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1EDF4;
$base-200: #C4DAE8;
$base-300: #9BBDD5;
$base-400: #74A0BE;
$base-500: #5382A2;
$base-600: #45677D;
$base-700: #354B5A;
$base-800: #26333B;
$base-900: #192025;
$base-hover: #386F94;
$base-subtle: #CCDBE6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#488CB9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EDF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4DAE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9BBDD5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#74A0BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5382A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#45677D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#354B5A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26333B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192025",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #488CB9

Color Lab

Pairs with #488CB9

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export