Steel Blue Color
Steel Blue is a blue color with hex code #5A7D9A. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with steel blue, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Steel Blue Color Values
What Does Steel Blue Mean?
Steel Blue belongs to the blue family of colors. Blue wins popularity surveys in every culture that runs them, and corporate design reflects it. Trust and stability are the usual words people reach for. Dark navies project authority, pale blues open a layout up, and almost nothing clashes with it. Steel Blue sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Steel Blue is classified as a blue (nearest centroid: moderate blue, #436B95). It is also known as Nightly Blade.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Steel Blue
Steel Blue and #9A775B are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #5B9A97 and #5B5E9A, which sit beside steel blue on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair steel blue with triadic partners #9A5B7E and #7E9A5B. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Slate Blue —
#5B7C99(Delta E 1) - Greyish Blue —
#5E819D(Delta E 2) - Stormy Blue —
#507B9C(Delta E 3) - Wedgewood —
#4E7F9E(Delta E 4) - Metallic Blue —
#4F738E(Delta E 4)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #5A7D9A; }
.background { background-color: #5A7D9A; }
.border { border: 2px solid #5A7D9A; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #5A7D9A40; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for steel blue?
Steel Blue has the hex code #5A7D9A. In RGB notation it is rgb(90, 125, 154), in HSL it is hsl(207, 26%, 48%), and its OKLCH value is 0.575, 0.06, 244.1.
What does the color steel blue mean?
Blue-family colors like steel blue carry distinct psychological associations. Steel Blue belongs to the blue family of colors. Blue wins popularity surveys in every culture that runs them, and corporate design reflects it. Trust and stability are the usual words people reach for. Dark navies project authority, pale blues open a layout up, and almost nothing clashes with it. Steel Blue sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with steel blue?
Steel Blue has three easy routes: its complement #9A775B for punch, its neighbors #5B9A97 and #5B5E9A for something calmer, or triadic partners #9A5B7E and #7E9A5B when you want energy.
Is steel blue a standard web color?
No — Steel Blue is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #5A7D9A or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make steel blue lighter or darker?
To lighten steel blue, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #E2E9EE (lightest tint) to #0F151A (darkest shade).
About Steel Blue
Steel Blue is classified as a Blue in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Blue hue family. It has alternative names including Nightly Blade. The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #5A7D9A to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.