What color is #48ACEF?

#48ACEF is a medium, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(72, 172, 239), and in HSL hsl(204, 84%, 61%).

Is #48ACEF accessible as text?

On white, #48ACEF has a contrast ratio of 2.49:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.42:1 (passes). For text placed on #48ACEF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #48ACEF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-500 (#00A6F4).

What colors go well with #48ACEF?

#48ACEF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EF8B48. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #48ACEF below.

Is #48ACEF good for buttons?

#48ACEF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #48ACEF — white text only reaches 2.49:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #48ACEF the same as CSS deepskyblue?

No — #48ACEF is not the CSS named color deepskyblue, but deepskyblue (#00BFFF) is the closest CSS named color.

#48ACEF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #48ACEF

Not just a swatch — here's how #48ACEF works with other colors. Named schemes with #48ACEF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #48ACEF Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Picton 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 #48ACEF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Picton 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 #48ACEF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #7CD2FF

Picton 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 Picton Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #48ACEF Secondary #B5D4EC Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Picton 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 Picton Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #48ACEF Anchor #3B2924 Surface #EAE5D0 Accent #7A9E77 Secondary #393933

Picton Blue anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #48ACEF 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 11/100

Cool

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

Softness 54/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 29/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 36/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 52/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 55/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 32/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 68/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #48ACEF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #48ACEF with

Seafoam Green Neon Blue Butterscotch Platinum Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

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

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 7.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DFEEF7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4875EF — 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 #48ACEF 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: #48ACEF;
  --color-base-rgb: 72 172 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.5% 0.135 241.6);
  --color-50: #F0F9FE;
  --color-100: #D8EEFD;
  --color-200: #B4DDF8;
  --color-300: #81C2EE;
  --color-400: #53A7DF;
  --color-500: #3089C4;
  --color-600: #2D6B95;
  --color-700: #254E69;
  --color-800: #1C3445;
  --color-900: #13212A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  picton-blue: {
    50: '#F0F9FE',
    100: '#D8EEFD',
    200: '#B4DDF8',
    300: '#81C2EE',
    400: '#53A7DF',
    500: '#3089C4',
    600: '#2D6B95',
    700: '#254E69',
    800: '#1C3445',
    900: '#13212A',
  },
}

$base: #48ACEF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0F9FE;
$base-100: #D8EEFD;
$base-200: #B4DDF8;
$base-300: #81C2EE;
$base-400: #53A7DF;
$base-500: #3089C4;
$base-600: #2D6B95;
$base-700: #254E69;
$base-800: #1C3445;
$base-900: #13212A;
$base-hover: #1491E5;
$base-subtle: #CEE5F4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#48ACEF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0F9FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8EEFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B4DDF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#81C2EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#53A7DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3089C4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2D6B95",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#254E69",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1C3445",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#13212A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #48ACEF

Color Lab

Pairs with #48ACEF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export