What color is #4E81CA?

#4E81CA is a medium blue. In RGB it is rgb(78, 129, 202), and in HSL hsl(215, 54%, 55%).

Is #4E81CA accessible as text?

On white, #4E81CA has a contrast ratio of 3.95:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.32:1 (passes). For text placed on #4E81CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #4E81CA?

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

What colors go well with #4E81CA?

#4E81CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CA974E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #4E81CA below.

Is #4E81CA good for buttons?

#4E81CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #4E81CA — white text only reaches 3.95:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #4E81CA the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #4E81CA is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#4E81CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #4E81CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #4E81CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #4E81CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4E81CA Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Glaucous 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 #4E81CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #77A7EB

Glaucous is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Glaucous.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4E81CA Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC1 Accent #375246 Anchor #57223B

Glaucous 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 #4E81CA Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2144 Accent #E4C2CA Secondary #322B2F

Glaucous 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 #4E81CA Secondary #9AADC7 Support #9D8F89 Ink #16140F

Glaucous 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 Glaucous carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #4E81CA 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 17/100

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 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 34/100

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 24/100

Low

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

Print safety 75/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #4E81CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #4E81CA with

Medium Turquoise Slate Blue Camel 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 4.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DFE7F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4E59CA — 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 #4E81CA 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: #4E81CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 78 129 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.1% 0.125 257.5);
  --color-50: #F3F7FC;
  --color-100: #DFE9F6;
  --color-200: #C0D3EC;
  --color-300: #95B2DA;
  --color-400: #6C92C6;
  --color-500: #4B72AA;
  --color-600: #3F5B83;
  --color-700: #32445D;
  --color-800: #232E3D;
  --color-900: #171D26;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  glaucous: {
    50: '#F3F7FC',
    100: '#DFE9F6',
    200: '#C0D3EC',
    300: '#95B2DA',
    400: '#6C92C6',
    500: '#4B72AA',
    600: '#3F5B83',
    700: '#32445D',
    800: '#232E3D',
    900: '#171D26',
  },
}

$base: #4E81CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F7FC;
$base-100: #DFE9F6;
$base-200: #C0D3EC;
$base-300: #95B2DA;
$base-400: #6C92C6;
$base-500: #4B72AA;
$base-600: #3F5B83;
$base-700: #32445D;
$base-800: #232E3D;
$base-900: #171D26;
$base-hover: #3466AD;
$base-subtle: #CEDAEB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#4E81CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F7FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFE9F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C0D3EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95B2DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6C92C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4B72AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3F5B83",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#32445D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#232E3D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171D26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #4E81CA

Color Lab

Pairs with #4E81CA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export