What color is #5185B8?

#5185B8 is a medium blue. In RGB it is rgb(81, 133, 184), and in HSL hsl(210, 42%, 52%).

Is #5185B8 accessible as text?

On white, #5185B8 has a contrast ratio of 3.89:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.40:1 (passes). For text placed on #5185B8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #5185B8?

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

What colors go well with #5185B8?

#5185B8 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B88551. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #5185B8 below.

Is #5185B8 good for buttons?

#5185B8 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #5185B8 — white text only reaches 3.89:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #5185B8 the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #5185B8 is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#5185B8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #5185B8

Not just a swatch — here's how #5185B8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #5185B8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #5185B8 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Steel 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 #5185B8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #7AAADA

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 #5185B8 Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #5185B8 Surface #EDE9D6 Anchor #5A2245 Accent #E4C2CB Secondary #322B2F

Steel 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 #5185B8 Secondary #9CAEC0 Support #959386 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 #5185B8 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 51/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

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 54/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 26/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 84/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 33/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 79/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #5185B8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #5185B8 with

Medium Turquoise Tanzanite Peru 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 4.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DFE7EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #5162B8 — 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 #5185B8 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: #5185B8;
  --color-base-rgb: 81 133 184;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.2% 0.096 249.3);
  --color-50: #F4F7FB;
  --color-100: #E2EBF4;
  --color-200: #C5D6E7;
  --color-300: #9CB8D3;
  --color-400: #7699BC;
  --color-500: #557A9F;
  --color-600: #47617B;
  --color-700: #364758;
  --color-800: #26303B;
  --color-900: #191F24;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F7FB',
    100: '#E2EBF4',
    200: '#C5D6E7',
    300: '#9CB8D3',
    400: '#7699BC',
    500: '#557A9F',
    600: '#47617B',
    700: '#364758',
    800: '#26303B',
    900: '#191F24',
  },
}

$base: #5185B8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F7FB;
$base-100: #E2EBF4;
$base-200: #C5D6E7;
$base-300: #9CB8D3;
$base-400: #7699BC;
$base-500: #557A9F;
$base-600: #47617B;
$base-700: #364758;
$base-800: #26303B;
$base-900: #191F24;
$base-hover: #3E6A97;
$base-subtle: #CFDAE6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#5185B8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2EBF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5D6E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CB8D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7699BC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#557A9F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#47617B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364758",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26303B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191F24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #5185B8

Color Lab

Pairs with #5185B8

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export