Steel blue

#4c8fbb

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

This is Steel blue, a soft blue at 204 degrees. A mid blue this balanced is a workhorse for corporate identity. Warm oranges and ambers opposite it add energy and grey keeps it professional.

Steel blue color values

Every conversion for #4c8fbb, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#4c8fbb

RGB76, 143, 187

HSL204, 45%, 52%

HSV204, 59%, 73%

CMYK59%, 24%, 0%, 27%

Lab56.85, -8.07, -29.36

XYZ21.77, 24.77, 50.65

Decimal5017531

Web safe#3399cc

Pantone542 C

Shades of steel blue

#4283ae #3c769d #356a8c #2f5d7b #28506a #22445a #1c3749 #152a38 #0f1d27 #081116

Tints of steel blue

#5d99c1 #6da4c8 #7eaece #8eb9d4 #9fc3db #b0cde1 #c0d8e7 #d1e2ed #e1edf4 #f2f7fa

Colors that go with steel blue

Complementary#bb784c Analogous#4cbbaf Analogous#4c58bb Triadic#bb4c8f Triadic#8fbb4c Split complementary#bb4c57 Split complementary#bbaf4c

Steel blue in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 59, 24, 0, 27.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #4c8fbb on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

59 24 0 27

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

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

58 26 4 33

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 #4c8fbb straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #4c8fbb; }
.text { color: #4c8fbb; }
.border { border: 2px solid #4c8fbb; }

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 #4c8fbb against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #4c8fbb 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 #4c8fbb 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 #4c8fbb 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 #4c8fbb come from standard color math, shown so you can check them. The rgb, hsl, hsv, cie-lab and xyz values follow the standard conversions from the sRGB color space. Two cmyk builds are shown because coated and uncoated papers behave differently, uncoated soaks up ink and needs more of it to hit the same target. The Pantone value is the closest reference by perceptual color distance and should be treated as a starting point, not a guaranteed match.