What color is #96BED2?

#96BED2 is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(150, 190, 210), and in HSL hsl(200, 40%, 71%).

Is #96BED2 accessible as text?

On white, #96BED2 has a contrast ratio of 1.98:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.59:1 (passes). For text placed on #96BED2, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #96BED2?

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

What colors go well with #96BED2?

#96BED2 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D3AB97. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #96BED2 below.

Is #96BED2 good for buttons?

#96BED2 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #96BED2 — white text only reaches 1.98:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #96BED2 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #96BED2 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#96BED2 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #96BED2

Not just a swatch — here's how #96BED2 works with other colors. Named schemes with #96BED2 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #96BED2 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 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 #96BED2 Accent #A6C4BF 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 #96BED2 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

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 #96BED2 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C0E4F7

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 #96BED2 Secondary #D9E7EE 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 #96BED2 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 35/100

Cool

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

Softness 72/100

High

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

Depth 21/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 20/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 25/100

Low

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

Surface fit 63/100

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 #96BED2

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #96BED2 with

Powder Blue Iceberg Dusty Rose 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 9.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF2F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #97ABD3 — 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 #96BED2 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: #96BED2;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 190 210;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.9% 0.051 229.8);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E2EDF3;
  --color-200: #C6DCE6;
  --color-300: #9EC0D1;
  --color-400: #78A4BA;
  --color-500: #57869E;
  --color-600: #48697A;
  --color-700: #374D58;
  --color-800: #27343A;
  --color-900: #192024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E2EDF3',
    200: '#C6DCE6',
    300: '#9EC0D1',
    400: '#78A4BA',
    500: '#57869E',
    600: '#48697A',
    700: '#374D58',
    800: '#27343A',
    900: '#192024',
  },
}

$base: #96BED2;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E2EDF3;
$base-200: #C6DCE6;
$base-300: #9EC0D1;
$base-400: #78A4BA;
$base-500: #57869E;
$base-600: #48697A;
$base-700: #374D58;
$base-800: #27343A;
$base-900: #192024;
$base-hover: #65A0BD;
$base-subtle: #E2EBF0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#96BED2",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2EDF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6DCE6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EC0D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#78A4BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#57869E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#48697A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#374D58",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27343A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}