Palettes / Colors / #4E81BB
#4E81BB — Muted Blue
#4E81BB is a blue color we call Muted Blue, closest to the named color SteelBlue (#4682B4). It belongs to the blue family.
Color name
Closest CSS keyword: steelblue (#4682B4) — not an exact match. CSS steelblue gives you #4682B4, a different color; use #4E81BB when you need this exact shade.
Sources: common names follow widely used color-name references; CSS keywords and their hex values follow the CSS Color specification.
#4E81BB is a cool blue color associated with trust, calm and professionalism. It sits comfortably in the middle: usable for large areas in soft schemes, or as a supporting color beside something stronger.
Its strongest partner is its complement #BA884F; it also sits naturally between #4FB7BA and #524FBA. In the palettes below you can see it working alongside real color combinations from our collection.
Color values
| HEX | #4E81BB |
|---|---|
| RGB | 78, 129, 187 |
| HSL | 212°, 44%, 52% |
| HSV | 212°, 58%, 73% |
| CMYK | 58%, 31%, 0%, 27% |
| XYZ | 19.96, 20.91, 50.00 |
| Yxy | 20.91, 0.2197, 0.2301 |
| CIE-Lab | 52.85, 0.44, -35.59 |
| Hunter Lab | 45.73, 0.35, -36.67 |
RGB & CMYK percentages
Red 31% · Green 51% · Blue 73%
Cyan 58% · Magenta 31% · Yellow 0% · Key 27%
CMYK values are unprofiled approximations for screen reference — not a print-proofing guarantee.
Previews
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
CSS code for #4E81BB
.text { color: #4E81BB; }
.background { background-color: #4E81BB; }
.border { border: 3px solid #4E81BB; }
.text-rgb { color: rgb(78, 129, 187); }
.text-hsl { color: hsl(212, 44%, 52%); }
.text-shadow-hex { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px #4E81BB; }
.text-shadow-rgba { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px rgba(78, 129, 187, 0.8); }
.box-shadow-hex { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px #4E81BB; }
.box-shadow-rgba { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px rgba(78, 129, 187, 0.8); }
HTML: <p style="color:#4E81BB">Text here</p> · <div style="background-color:#4E81BB">Div content here</div>
Shades of #4E81BB
Tints of #4E81BB
Tones of #4E81BB
Color harmonies
Complementary — #BA884F:
Analogous:
Triadic:
Contrast & accessibility
| Against white text | 4.05:1 AA large only |
|---|---|
| Against black text | 5.18:1 AA |
Best text color on #4E81BB: #000000.
Semi-transparent (opacity) text on #4E81BB
Text set with opacity blends into the background, so its real contrast is lower than the solid ratios above. Choose a text color and an opacity to see the blended color and its true ratio:
Smaller body text shows the effect best.
Blended color: · Contrast against #4E81BB: ·
How #4E81BB looks with color blindness
Simulated with standard Machado color-vision-deficiency matrices — useful when this color carries meaning in charts, maps or interfaces:
Closest design-system colors
The nearest matches in the Tailwind CSS, Material Design and Bootstrap palettes — handy when you need a framework class instead of a raw hex:
Palettes with a similar color
These palettes use a close neighbour of #4E81BB rather than the exact color:
Similar colors
The closest colors that actually appear in our palette collection — click any to open its page:
Browse neighbouring colors
Frequently asked questions
What color is #4E81BB?
#4E81BB is Muted Blue, a blue color (RGB 78, 129, 187). Its closest standard named color is SteelBlue.
What is the RGB and HSL of #4E81BB?
#4E81BB is RGB 78, 129, 187 — HSL 212°, 44%, 52% — CMYK 58%, 31%, 0%, 27%.
What colors go with #4E81BB?
Its complement is #BA884F; analogous partners are #4FB7BA and #524FBA. It also appears in 6+ palettes in our collection.
Can I use #4E81BB for text?
Black text on #4E81BB has a contrast ratio of 5.18:1 (passes WCAG AA); white text gives 4.05:1.