Steel Blue Color Palette
Steel Blue Color Palette built around #4682B4, a dark cool blue anchor (WCAG contrast 5.11:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #BBD0EA | |
| surface | #5C8EBB | |
| text | #174465 | |
| text-muted | #4682B4 | |
| primary | #4682B4 | |
| secondary | #9B7A5F | |
| accent | #5C8EBB |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #bbd0ea;
--surface: #5c8ebb;
--text: #174465;
--text-muted: #4682b4;
--primary: #4682b4;
--secondary: #9b7a5f;
--accent: #5c8ebb;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #4682B4 | #BBD0EA | #174465 | #9B7A5F | #5C8EBB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4682B4 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| #BBD0EA | 2.6 | 1.0 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| #174465 | 2.5 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| #9B7A5F | 1.1 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #5C8EBB | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the steel blue color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #4682B4, #BBD0EA, #174465, #9B7A5F, #5C8EBB.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.