Color #488ECA Color / Colour Code #488ECA
This page shows the hex color code for color #488eca (#488ECA). The colour is a blue tone with 55% saturation and 54% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #488ECA against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#488ECA paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 178, 208, and 238 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 208, 328, and 88 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #488ECA
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 208 and saturation at 55%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 208 to 253 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 208 with its complement at 28 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #488ECA
Lightness variations at hue 208 and 55% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #488ECA
Design Use Cases for #488ECA
Balanced UI Color
At 55% saturation, #488ECA strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 54% lightness, #488ECA has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Trust & Professional Identity
#488ECA sits in the blue range (hue 208). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #488ECA (hue 208) to its complement at hue 28. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 238. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #488eca, #ca8549);
CSS Code for #488ECA
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #488ECA based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #488ECA across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #488ECA (#488ECA)
#488ECA is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 72 red, 142 green, and 202 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.8:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 208 degrees with 55% saturation and 54% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #488ECA is 128/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 64% cyan, 30% magenta, 0% yellow, and 21% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #488ECA against white is 3.50:1 and against black is 6.00:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 6.00:1.
The complementary colour #CA8549 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #488ECA. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #49CAC6 and #494DCA, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #488ECA
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #488ECA?
- #488ECA is Color #488ECA, a blue color (colour) with RGB(72, 142, 202), HSL(208, 55%, 54%), and CMYK(64%, 30%, 0%, 21%). Its perceived brightness is 128/255.
- Is #488ECA accessible for text?
- Against white, #488ECA has a contrast ratio of 3.50:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 6.00:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #488ECA?
- The complementary colour is #CA8549 (hue 28). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #49CAC6 and #494DCA. The triadic palette adds #CA498E and #8ECA49 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #488ECA in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #488eca; or rgb(72, 142, 202); or hsl(208, 55%, 54%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 208 55% 54%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.