What color is #538CBB?

#538CBB is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(83, 140, 187), and in HSL hsl(207, 43%, 53%).

Is #538CBB accessible as text?

On white, #538CBB has a contrast ratio of 3.60:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.84:1 (passes). For text placed on #538CBB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #538CBB?

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

What colors go well with #538CBB?

#538CBB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BB8254. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #538CBB below.

Is #538CBB good for buttons?

#538CBB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #538CBB — white text only reaches 3.60:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #538CBB the same as CSS steelblue?

No — #538CBB is not the CSS named color steelblue, but steelblue (#4682B4) is the closest CSS named color.

#538CBB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #538CBB

Not just a swatch — here's how #538CBB works with other colors. Named schemes with #538CBB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #538CBB Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #20344A

Ocean 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 #538CBB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Ocean 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 #538CBB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #7DB1DD

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #538CBB Secondary #A1B4C5 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.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #538CBB Anchor #3B2924 Surface #EAE5D0 Accent #7A9E77 Secondary #393933

Ocean 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 #538CBB 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 53/100

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 53/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 45/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 36/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 79/100

High

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

Surface fit 36/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 78/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #538CBB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #538CBB 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 5.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E0E8EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #546ABB — 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 #538CBB 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: #538CBB;
  --color-base-rgb: 83 140 187;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(62.1% 0.093 245.0);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1ECF4;
  --color-200: #C5D8E8;
  --color-300: #9CBAD3;
  --color-400: #759DBD;
  --color-500: #557EA0;
  --color-600: #46647C;
  --color-700: #364959;
  --color-800: #26313B;
  --color-900: #191F24;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ocean-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1ECF4',
    200: '#C5D8E8',
    300: '#9CBAD3',
    400: '#759DBD',
    500: '#557EA0',
    600: '#46647C',
    700: '#364959',
    800: '#26313B',
    900: '#191F24',
  },
}

$base: #538CBB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1ECF4;
$base-200: #C5D8E8;
$base-300: #9CBAD3;
$base-400: #759DBD;
$base-500: #557EA0;
$base-600: #46647C;
$base-700: #364959;
$base-800: #26313B;
$base-900: #191F24;
$base-hover: #3E719B;
$base-subtle: #CFDCE7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#538CBB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1ECF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5D8E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CBAD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#759DBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#557EA0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#46647C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364959",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26313B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191F24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #538CBB

Color Lab

Pairs with #538CBB

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export