Steel blue

#4c8ca2

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

Steel blue is a mid blue that reads confident. A mid blue this balanced is a workhorse for corporate identity. It pairs with warm neutrals for balance, or with a brighter accent for contrast.

Steel blue color values

Every conversion for #4c8ca2, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#4c8ca2

RGB76, 140, 162

HSL195, 36%, 47%

HSV195, 53%, 64%

CMYK53%, 14%, 0%, 36%

Lab54.97, -14.17, -17.96

XYZ18.88, 22.9, 37.61

Decimal5016738

Web safe#339999

Pantone549 C

Shades of steel blue

#458094 #3f7486 #386778 #325b6a #2b4f5b #24434d #1e373f #172a31 #101e23 #0a1215

Tints of steel blue

#5799b0 #68a4b8 #7aaec0 #8bb9c9 #9cc3d1 #aeced9 #bfd8e1 #d0e3e9 #e2edf1 #f3f8f9

Colors that go with steel blue

Complementary#a2624c Analogous#4ca28d Analogous#4c61a2 Triadic#a24c8c Triadic#8ca24c Split complementary#a24c61 Split complementary#a28d4c

Steel blue in print

The cmyk build is well inside gamut, so what you see on screen is close to what prints. The cmyk build is 53, 14, 0, 36.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #4c8ca2 on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

53 14 0 36

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

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

53 17 4 42

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

This color converts to cmyk comfortably and should hold on press.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or readrgb vs cmyk for print andwhat the k in cmyk means.

Steel blue in css

Copy #4c8ca2 straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #4c8ca2; }
.text { color: #4c8ca2; }
.border { border: 2px solid #4c8ca2; }

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 #4c8ca2 against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #4c8ca2 against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through ourcontrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Steel blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #4c8ca2 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 thecolor palette generator, or check a design for print with thergb to cmyk converter.

Turn steel blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #4c8ca2 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

The figures for #4c8ca2 come from standard color math, shown so you can check them. We convert from sRGB to each space with the standard formulas, so the codes match what design tools show. The coated and uncoated cmyk builds differ because uncoated stock absorbs more ink and gains dot, so the same color needs a heavier, slightly duller build on press. The Pantone value is the closest reference by perceptual color distance and should be treated as a starting point, not a guaranteed match.