Steel blue

#508ab2

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. It pairs with warm neutrals for balance, or with a brighter accent for contrast.

Steel blue color values

Every conversion for #508ab2, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#508ab2

RGB80, 138, 178

HSL204, 39%, 51%

HSV204, 55%, 70%

CMYK55%, 22%, 0%, 30%

Lab55.17, -7.25, -26.82

XYZ20.43, 23.1, 45.5

Decimal5278386

Web safe#669999

Pantone646 C

Shades of steel blue

#487ea3 #417294 #3a6684 #335974 #2c4d64 #254154 #1e3545 #172935 #101d25 #091015

Tints of steel blue

#6095b9 #71a0c0 #81abc7 #91b5cf #a1c0d6 #b2cbdd #c2d6e4 #d2e1eb #e2ecf2 #f3f7fa

Colors that go with steel blue

Complementary#b27850 Analogous#50b2a9 Analogous#5059b2 Triadic#b2508a Triadic#8ab250 Split complementary#b25059 Split complementary#b2a950

Steel blue in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 55, 22, 0, 30.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #508ab2 on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

55 22 0 30

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

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

55 24 4 36

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 #508ab2 straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #508ab2; }
.text { color: #508ab2; }
.border { border: 2px solid #508ab2; }

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 #508ab2 against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #508ab2 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 #508ab2 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 #508ab2 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

Here is how the numbers for #508ab2 are worked out. 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 figure is the nearest match in our reference set by perceptual distance and it is an approximation, not an exact spot color.