What color is #AEC6E2?

#AEC6E2 is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(174, 198, 226), and in HSL hsl(212, 47%, 78%).

Is #AEC6E2 accessible as text?

On white, #AEC6E2 has a contrast ratio of 1.75:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.98:1 (passes). For text placed on #AEC6E2, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AEC6E2?

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

What colors go well with #AEC6E2?

#AEC6E2 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E1C9AD. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AEC6E2 below.

Is #AEC6E2 good for buttons?

#AEC6E2 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AEC6E2 — white text only reaches 1.75:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AEC6E2 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #AEC6E2 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#AEC6E2 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AEC6E2

Not just a swatch — here's how #AEC6E2 works with other colors. Named schemes with #AEC6E2 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #AEC6E2 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 #AEC6E2 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 #AEC6E2 Surface #ECEADC 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 #AEC6E2 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D7EDFF

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 #AEC6E2 Secondary #E9F2FC Support #959386 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 #AEC6E2 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 37/100

Cool

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

Softness 75/100

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 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 24/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 18/100

Very 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 68/100

High

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

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AEC6E2

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AEC6E2 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 10.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F4F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #ADB4E1 — 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 #AEC6E2 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #AEC6E2;
  --color-base-rgb: 174 198 226;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.8% 0.047 252.4);
  --color-50: #F3F7FB;
  --color-100: #E0EAF5;
  --color-200: #C3D5E9;
  --color-300: #99B6D6;
  --color-400: #7296C0;
  --color-500: #5178A4;
  --color-600: #445F7E;
  --color-700: #34465A;
  --color-800: #25303C;
  --color-900: #181E25;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F7FB',
    100: '#E0EAF5',
    200: '#C3D5E9',
    300: '#99B6D6',
    400: '#7296C0',
    500: '#5178A4',
    600: '#445F7E',
    700: '#34465A',
    800: '#25303C',
    900: '#181E25',
  },
}

$base: #AEC6E2;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F7FB;
$base-100: #E0EAF5;
$base-200: #C3D5E9;
$base-300: #99B6D6;
$base-400: #7296C0;
$base-500: #5178A4;
$base-600: #445F7E;
$base-700: #34465A;
$base-800: #25303C;
$base-900: #181E25;
$base-hover: #729CCC;
$base-subtle: #E8EEF4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AEC6E2",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F7FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0EAF5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C3D5E9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#99B6D6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7296C0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5178A4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#445F7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#34465A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#25303C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#181E25",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #AEC6E2

Color Lab

Pairs with #AEC6E2

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export