What color is #ADC8EC?

#ADC8EC is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(173, 200, 236), and in HSL hsl(214, 62%, 80%).

Is #ADC8EC accessible as text?

On white, #ADC8EC has a contrast ratio of 1.71:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.25:1 (passes). For text placed on #ADC8EC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #ADC8EC?

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

What colors go well with #ADC8EC?

#ADC8EC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #ECD0AC. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #ADC8EC below.

Is #ADC8EC good for buttons?

#ADC8EC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #ADC8EC — white text only reaches 1.71:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #ADC8EC the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #ADC8EC is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#ADC8EC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #ADC8EC

Not just a swatch — here's how #ADC8EC works with other colors. Named schemes with #ADC8EC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #ADC8EC Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #ADC8EC 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 #ADC8EC Surface #EBEADC 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 #ADC8EC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D6EFFF

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 #ADC8EC Secondary #EBF4FF Support #9D8F89 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 #ADC8EC 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 74/100

High

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

Depth 17/100

Very 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 23/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 17/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 66/100

High

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

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #ADC8EC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #ADC8EC with

Pale Turquoise Wisteria Desert Sand 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 10.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F4F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #ACB3EC — 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 #ADC8EC at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #ADC8EC;
  --color-base-rgb: 173 200 236;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(82.5% 0.059 255.7);
  --color-50: #F2F7FD;
  --color-100: #DDE9F8;
  --color-200: #BDD3EF;
  --color-300: #90B2E0;
  --color-400: #6692CC;
  --color-500: #4473B1;
  --color-600: #3A5C87;
  --color-700: #2E4460;
  --color-800: #222E3F;
  --color-900: #161D27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F7FD',
    100: '#DDE9F8',
    200: '#BDD3EF',
    300: '#90B2E0',
    400: '#6692CC',
    500: '#4473B1',
    600: '#3A5C87',
    700: '#2E4460',
    800: '#222E3F',
    900: '#161D27',
  },
}

$base: #ADC8EC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F7FD;
$base-100: #DDE9F8;
$base-200: #BDD3EF;
$base-300: #90B2E0;
$base-400: #6692CC;
$base-500: #4473B1;
$base-600: #3A5C87;
$base-700: #2E4460;
$base-800: #222E3F;
$base-900: #161D27;
$base-hover: #6A9CDC;
$base-subtle: #E8EFF7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#ADC8EC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F7FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDE9F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BDD3EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#90B2E0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6692CC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4473B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3A5C87",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2E4460",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#222E3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161D27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #ADC8EC

Color Lab

Pairs with #ADC8EC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export