Steel blue

#0086bb

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for steel blue, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

This is Steel blue, a vivid blue at 197 degrees. Deep blues like this anchor serious, established brands. It pairs with warm neutrals for balance, or with a brighter accent for contrast.

Steel blue color values

Every conversion for #0086bb, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#0086bb

RGB0, 134, 187

HSL197, 100%, 37%

HSV197, 100%, 73%

CMYK100%, 28%, 0%, 27%

Lab52.55, -11.06, -36.19

XYZ17.49, 20.64, 50.08

Decimal34491

Web safe#0099cc

Pantone3005 C

Shades of steel blue

#007bab #00709c #00648c #00597c #004e6d #00435d #00384e #002c3e #00212e #00161f

Tints of steel blue

#009cda #00b2f8 #18bdff #36c6ff #55cfff #73d7ff #92e0ff #b0e9ff #cff1ff #edfaff

Colors that go with steel blue

Complementary#bb3500 Analogous#00bb92 Analogous#0028bb Triadic#bb0086 Triadic#86bb00 Split complementary#bb0028 Split complementary#bb9200

Steel blue in print

It is saturated enough that the cmyk build can shift slightly from screen to press, so proof it. The cmyk build is 100, 28, 0, 27.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #0086bb on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

100 28 0 27

Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

96 30 4 33

The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color is saturated enough to sit near the edge of cmyk gamut, so expect a small drop in punch on paper and proof it before a long run.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or read rgb vs cmyk for print and what the k in cmyk means.

Steel blue in css

Copy #0086bb straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #0086bb; }
.text { color: #0086bb; }
.border { border: 2px solid #0086bb; }

How steel blue looks on light and dark

Sample text on black

Sample text on white

Text on this color

Steel blue and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #0086bb against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #0086bb against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through our contrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Steel blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #0086bb sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Business card

Sticker

Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around steel blue? Pull matching colors from any photo with the color palette generator, or check a design for print with the rgb to cmyk converter.

Turn steel blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #0086bb and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Arches Signature stripes Gem Shingles

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from steel blue, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

Every value on this page for #0086bb is computed, not guessed. The rgb, hsl, hsv, cie-lab and xyz values follow the standard conversions from the sRGB color space. The uncoated cmyk build carries more ink than the coated one, which is what a printer would compensate for when the same color runs on a rougher stock. The Pantone value is the closest reference by perceptual color distance and should be treated as a starting point, not a guaranteed match.