What color is #96BBD5?

#96BBD5 is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(150, 187, 213), and in HSL hsl(205, 43%, 71%).

Is #96BBD5 accessible as text?

On white, #96BBD5 has a contrast ratio of 2.03:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.37:1 (passes). For text placed on #96BBD5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #96BBD5?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-300 (#8EC5FF).

What colors go well with #96BBD5?

#96BBD5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D5B095. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #96BBD5 below.

Is #96BBD5 good for buttons?

#96BBD5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #96BBD5 — white text only reaches 2.03:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #96BBD5 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #96BBD5 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#96BBD5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #96BBD5

Not just a swatch — here's how #96BBD5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #96BBD5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #96BBD5 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Light Steel Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #96BBD5 Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Light Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #96BBD5 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2823

Light Steel Blue sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #96BBD5 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #BFE1FA

Light 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 Light Steel Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #96BBD5 Secondary #D8E5EE Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Light 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 Light Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #96BBD5 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 34/100

Cool

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

Softness 71/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 62/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #96BBD5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #96BBD5 with

Powder Blue Iceberg Dusty Rose Gainsboro 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 9.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF1F5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #95A5D5 — 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 #96BBD5 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: #96BBD5;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 187 213;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.4% 0.055 239.0);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1ECF4;
  --color-200: #C5D9E8;
  --color-300: #9CBCD3;
  --color-400: #759FBD;
  --color-500: #5581A0;
  --color-600: #46657C;
  --color-700: #364A59;
  --color-800: #26323B;
  --color-900: #192024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1ECF4',
    200: '#C5D9E8',
    300: '#9CBCD3',
    400: '#759FBD',
    500: '#5581A0',
    600: '#46657C',
    700: '#364A59',
    800: '#26323B',
    900: '#192024',
  },
}

$base: #96BBD5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1ECF4;
$base-200: #C5D9E8;
$base-300: #9CBCD3;
$base-400: #759FBD;
$base-500: #5581A0;
$base-600: #46657C;
$base-700: #364A59;
$base-800: #26323B;
$base-900: #192024;
$base-hover: #6199C0;
$base-subtle: #E2EAF0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#96BBD5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1ECF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5D9E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CBCD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#759FBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5581A0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#46657C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364A59",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26323B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}