What color is #AEC4EF?

#AEC4EF is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(174, 196, 239), and in HSL hsl(220, 67%, 81%).

Is #AEC4EF accessible as text?

On white, #AEC4EF has a contrast ratio of 1.76:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.94:1 (passes). For text placed on #AEC4EF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AEC4EF?

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

What colors go well with #AEC4EF?

#AEC4EF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EFD9AE. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AEC4EF below.

Is #AEC4EF good for buttons?

#AEC4EF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AEC4EF — white text only reaches 1.76:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AEC4EF the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #AEC4EF is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#AEC4EF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AEC4EF

Not just a swatch — here's how #AEC4EF works with other colors. Named schemes with #AEC4EF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #AEC4EF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A7 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 #AEC4EF Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF 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 #AEC4EF Surface #EBEADD Highlight #F4F2E7 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 #AEC4EF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D7EBFF

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 #AEC4EF Secondary #E9F2FF 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 #AEC4EF 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 72/100

High

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

Depth 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 24/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

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 63/100

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 #AEC4EF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AEC4EF with

Pale Turquoise Wisteria Wheat 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 10.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F1F4FA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #AEAEEF — 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 #AEC4EF 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: #AEC4EF;
  --color-base-rgb: 174 196 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.8% 0.065 263.7);
  --color-50: #F2F5FD;
  --color-100: #DCE6F9;
  --color-200: #BBCDF1;
  --color-300: #8CA9E3;
  --color-400: #6287D0;
  --color-500: #3F67B5;
  --color-600: #37538B;
  --color-700: #2C3E62;
  --color-800: #202B41;
  --color-900: #161C28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F5FD',
    100: '#DCE6F9',
    200: '#BBCDF1',
    300: '#8CA9E3',
    400: '#6287D0',
    500: '#3F67B5',
    600: '#37538B',
    700: '#2C3E62',
    800: '#202B41',
    900: '#161C28',
  },
}

$base: #AEC4EF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F5FD;
$base-100: #DCE6F9;
$base-200: #BBCDF1;
$base-300: #8CA9E3;
$base-400: #6287D0;
$base-500: #3F67B5;
$base-600: #37538B;
$base-700: #2C3E62;
$base-800: #202B41;
$base-900: #161C28;
$base-hover: #6991E1;
$base-subtle: #E9EEF8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AEC4EF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F5FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCE6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBCDF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8CA9E3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6287D0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3F67B5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#37538B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C3E62",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#202B41",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161C28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #AEC4EF

Color Lab

Pairs with #AEC4EF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export