What color is #97BCDA?

#97BCDA is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(151, 188, 218), and in HSL hsl(207, 48%, 72%).

Is #97BCDA accessible as text?

On white, #97BCDA has a contrast ratio of 2.00:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.52:1 (passes). For text placed on #97BCDA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #97BCDA?

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

What colors go well with #97BCDA?

#97BCDA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DAB495. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #97BCDA below.

Is #97BCDA good for buttons?

#97BCDA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #97BCDA — white text only reaches 2.00:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #97BCDA the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #97BCDA is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#97BCDA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #97BCDA

Not just a swatch — here's how #97BCDA works with other colors. Named schemes with #97BCDA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #97BCDA 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 #97BCDA Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF 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 #97BCDA 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 #97BCDA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C0E2FE

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 #97BCDA Secondary #D9E6F1 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 #97BCDA 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 33/100

Cool

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

Softness 70/100

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 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

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 61/100

High

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

Print safety 86/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #97BCDA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #97BCDA 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 9.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF1F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #95A4DA — 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 #97BCDA 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: #97BCDA;
  --color-base-rgb: 151 188 218;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.9% 0.059 243.0);
  --color-50: #F3F8FB;
  --color-100: #E0ECF5;
  --color-200: #C3D8EA;
  --color-300: #99BBD7;
  --color-400: #719DC1;
  --color-500: #507FA5;
  --color-600: #43647F;
  --color-700: #34495B;
  --color-800: #25323C;
  --color-900: #181F25;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F8FB',
    100: '#E0ECF5',
    200: '#C3D8EA',
    300: '#99BBD7',
    400: '#719DC1',
    500: '#507FA5',
    600: '#43647F',
    700: '#34495B',
    800: '#25323C',
    900: '#181F25',
  },
}

$base: #97BCDA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F8FB;
$base-100: #E0ECF5;
$base-200: #C3D8EA;
$base-300: #99BBD7;
$base-400: #719DC1;
$base-500: #507FA5;
$base-600: #43647F;
$base-700: #34495B;
$base-800: #25323C;
$base-900: #181F25;
$base-hover: #5F98C7;
$base-subtle: #E2EAF1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#97BCDA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0ECF5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C3D8EA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#99BBD7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#719DC1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#507FA5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#43647F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#34495B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#25323C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#181F25",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}