What color is #AAB9EF?

#AAB9EF is a light, soft blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(170, 185, 239), and in HSL hsl(227, 68%, 80%).

Is #AAB9EF accessible as text?

On white, #AAB9EF has a contrast ratio of 1.93:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.90:1 (passes). For text placed on #AAB9EF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AAB9EF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-300 (#A3B3FF).

What colors go well with #AAB9EF?

#AAB9EF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EFE0A9. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AAB9EF below.

Is #AAB9EF good for buttons?

#AAB9EF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AAB9EF — white text only reaches 1.93:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AAB9EF the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #AAB9EF is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#AAB9EF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AAB9EF

Not just a swatch — here's how #AAB9EF works with other colors. Named schemes with #AAB9EF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #AAB9EF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 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 #AAB9EF Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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 #AAB9EF Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 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 #AAB9EF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #D2E0FF

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 #F8F4EF Accent #AAB9EF Secondary #E2E8FC Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

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 #AAB9EF 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 68/100

High

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

Depth 20/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 30/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AAB9EF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AAB9EF with

Pale Turquoise Wisteria Vanilla Gainsboro Gunmetal Gray

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 9.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F2FA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B1A9EF — 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 #AAB9EF 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: #AAB9EF;
  --color-base-rgb: 170 185 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(79.3% 0.079 272.5);
  --color-50: #F2F4FD;
  --color-100: #DCE2F9;
  --color-200: #BBC7F2;
  --color-300: #8C9FE3;
  --color-400: #6179D1;
  --color-500: #3F58B6;
  --color-600: #37498B;
  --color-700: #2C3863;
  --color-800: #202741;
  --color-900: #151928;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F4FD',
    100: '#DCE2F9',
    200: '#BBC7F2',
    300: '#8C9FE3',
    400: '#6179D1',
    500: '#3F58B6',
    600: '#37498B',
    700: '#2C3863',
    800: '#202741',
    900: '#151928',
  },
}

$base: #AAB9EF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F4FD;
$base-100: #DCE2F9;
$base-200: #BBC7F2;
$base-300: #8C9FE3;
$base-400: #6179D1;
$base-500: #3F58B6;
$base-600: #37498B;
$base-700: #2C3863;
$base-800: #202741;
$base-900: #151928;
$base-hover: #6580E2;
$base-subtle: #E8EBF8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AAB9EF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F4FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCE2F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBC7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8C9FE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6179D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3F58B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#37498B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C3863",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#202741",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151928",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}