Steel blue

#4e85cc

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

This is Steel blue, a strong blue at 214 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 #4e85cc, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#4e85cc

RGB78, 133, 204

HSL214, 55%, 55%

HSV214, 62%, 80%

CMYK62%, 35%, 0%, 20%

Lab54.82, 3.72, -42.17

XYZ22.43, 22.75, 60.34

Decimal5146060

Web safe#6699cc

Pantone279 C

Shades of steel blue

#3a78c6 #346cb4 #2e60a0 #29548d #234979 #1d3d66 #183152 #12263f #0c1a2b #070e18

Tints of steel blue

#5e90d1 #6f9bd5 #7fa7da #8fb2df #a0bde4 #b0c8e8 #c0d4ed #d1dff2 #e1eaf6 #f1f5fb

Colors that go with steel blue

Complementary#cc954e Analogous#4ec4cc Analogous#564ecc Triadic#cc4e85 Triadic#85cc4e Split complementary#cc564e Split complementary#c4cc4e

Steel blue in print

It sits in a comfortable part of the gamut and reproduces reliably on press. The cmyk build is 62, 35, 0, 20.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #4e85cc on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

62 35 0 20

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

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

61 36 4 26

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 #4e85cc straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #4e85cc; }
.text { color: #4e85cc; }
.border { border: 2px solid #4e85cc; }

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 #4e85cc against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #4e85cc 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 #4e85cc 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 #4e85cc 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 #4e85cc are worked out. We convert from sRGB to each space with the standard formulas, so the codes match what design tools show. 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.