What color is #AEC0DC?

#AEC0DC is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(174, 192, 220), and in HSL hsl(217, 40%, 77%).

Is #AEC0DC accessible as text?

On white, #AEC0DC has a contrast ratio of 1.85:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.37:1 (passes). For text placed on #AEC0DC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AEC0DC?

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

What colors go well with #AEC0DC?

#AEC0DC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DCCAAD. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AEC0DC below.

Is #AEC0DC good for buttons?

#AEC0DC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AEC0DC — white text only reaches 1.85:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AEC0DC the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #AEC0DC is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#AEC0DC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AEC0DC

Not just a swatch — here's how #AEC0DC works with other colors. Named schemes with #AEC0DC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #AEC0DC 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 #AEC0DC 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 #AEC0DC Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B1B2A0 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 #AEC0DC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D6E7FF

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 #AEC0DC Secondary #E6EDF7 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 #AEC0DC 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 38/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 75/100

High

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

Depth 19/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 19/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 68/100

High

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

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AEC0DC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AEC0DC with

Pale Turquoise Lilac 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 10.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F2F7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #ADAFDC — 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 #AEC0DC 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: #AEC0DC;
  --color-base-rgb: 174 192 220;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(80.3% 0.044 259.2);
  --color-50: #F4F7FB;
  --color-100: #E2E9F3;
  --color-200: #C6D2E6;
  --color-300: #9EB2D1;
  --color-400: #7891BA;
  --color-500: #57729E;
  --color-600: #485B7A;
  --color-700: #374458;
  --color-800: #272E3A;
  --color-900: #191D24;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F7FB',
    100: '#E2E9F3',
    200: '#C6D2E6',
    300: '#9EB2D1',
    400: '#7891BA',
    500: '#57729E',
    600: '#485B7A',
    700: '#374458',
    800: '#272E3A',
    900: '#191D24',
  },
}

$base: #AEC0DC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F7FB;
$base-100: #E2E9F3;
$base-200: #C6D2E6;
$base-300: #9EB2D1;
$base-400: #7891BA;
$base-500: #57729E;
$base-600: #485B7A;
$base-700: #374458;
$base-800: #272E3A;
$base-900: #191D24;
$base-hover: #7694C4;
$base-subtle: #E8ECF3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AEC0DC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2E9F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6D2E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EB2D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7891BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#57729E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#485B7A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#374458",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#272E3A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191D24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #AEC0DC

Color Lab

Pairs with #AEC0DC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export