What color is #96BEE5?

#96BEE5 is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(150, 190, 229), and in HSL hsl(210, 60%, 74%).

Is #96BEE5 accessible as text?

On white, #96BEE5 has a contrast ratio of 1.95:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.79:1 (passes). For text placed on #96BEE5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #96BEE5?

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

What colors go well with #96BEE5?

#96BEE5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E4BD95. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #96BEE5 below.

Is #96BEE5 good for buttons?

#96BEE5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #96BEE5 — white text only reaches 1.95:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #96BEE5 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #96BEE5 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#96BEE5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #96BEE5

Not just a swatch — here's how #96BEE5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #96BEE5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #96BEE5 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 #96BEE5 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #96BEE5 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #96BEE5 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C0E5FF

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 #96BEE5 Secondary #DAE9F7 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 #96BEE5 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 30/100

Cool

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

Softness 69/100

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 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

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 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 84/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #96BEE5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #96BEE5 with

Pale Turquoise Cornflower Blue Burlywood 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 9.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF2F7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #95A2E4 — 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 #96BEE5 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: #96BEE5;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 190 229;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(78.6% 0.070 248.1);
  --color-50: #F2F7FC;
  --color-100: #DEEBF8;
  --color-200: #BED6EF;
  --color-300: #91B8DE;
  --color-400: #6799CB;
  --color-500: #467AAF;
  --color-600: #3C6186;
  --color-700: #2F4760;
  --color-800: #22303F;
  --color-900: #161F27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F7FC',
    100: '#DEEBF8',
    200: '#BED6EF',
    300: '#91B8DE',
    400: '#6799CB',
    500: '#467AAF',
    600: '#3C6186',
    700: '#2F4760',
    800: '#22303F',
    900: '#161F27',
  },
}

$base: #96BEE5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F7FC;
$base-100: #DEEBF8;
$base-200: #BED6EF;
$base-300: #91B8DE;
$base-400: #6799CB;
$base-500: #467AAF;
$base-600: #3C6186;
$base-700: #2F4760;
$base-800: #22303F;
$base-900: #161F27;
$base-hover: #5997D5;
$base-subtle: #E2EBF4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#96BEE5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F7FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEBF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BED6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#91B8DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6799CB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#467AAF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3C6186",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2F4760",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#22303F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161F27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}