What color is #AEC9DA?

#AEC9DA is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(174, 201, 218), and in HSL hsl(203, 37%, 77%).

Is #AEC9DA accessible as text?

On white, #AEC9DA has a contrast ratio of 1.73:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.17:1 (passes). For text placed on #AEC9DA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AEC9DA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-300 (#D7D0D7).

What colors go well with #AEC9DA?

#AEC9DA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DABFAF. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AEC9DA below.

Is #AEC9DA good for buttons?

#AEC9DA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AEC9DA — white text only reaches 1.73:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AEC9DA the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #AEC9DA is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#AEC9DA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AEC9DA

Not just a swatch — here's how #AEC9DA works with other colors. Named schemes with #AEC9DA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #AEC9DA 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 #AEC9DA Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #AEC9DA Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2723

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 #AEC9DA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D7F0FF

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 #AEC9DA Secondary #EAF4FA Support #969386 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 #AEC9DA 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 39/100

Neutral

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

Softness 77/100

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 26/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 23/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 15/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 72/100

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 #AEC9DA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AEC9DA with

Gainsboro Lilac Pale Silver Platinum 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 #F0F4F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #AFBBDA — 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 #AEC9DA 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: #AEC9DA;
  --color-base-rgb: 174 201 218;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(82.1% 0.038 235.6);
  --color-50: #F4F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3ECF3;
  --color-200: #C7DAE5;
  --color-300: #A0BDCF;
  --color-400: #7AA0B8;
  --color-500: #5A829B;
  --color-600: #4A6678;
  --color-700: #384B56;
  --color-800: #283339;
  --color-900: #1A2024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FA',
    100: '#E3ECF3',
    200: '#C7DAE5',
    300: '#A0BDCF',
    400: '#7AA0B8',
    500: '#5A829B',
    600: '#4A6678',
    700: '#384B56',
    800: '#283339',
    900: '#1A2024',
  },
}

$base: #AEC9DA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FA;
$base-100: #E3ECF3;
$base-200: #C7DAE5;
$base-300: #A0BDCF;
$base-400: #7AA0B8;
$base-500: #5A829B;
$base-600: #4A6678;
$base-700: #384B56;
$base-800: #283339;
$base-900: #1A2024;
$base-hover: #79A6C1;
$base-subtle: #E8EFF2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AEC9DA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3ECF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C7DAE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0BDCF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7AA0B8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5A829B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A6678",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#384B56",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283339",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #AEC9DA

Color Lab

Pairs with #AEC9DA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export