Steel blue is a shade of blue color that resembles blue steel, i.e., steel which has been subjected to bluing for protection from rust. It is one of the less vibrant shades of blue, and is usually identified as a blue-gray color. The first recorded use of steel blue as a color name in English was in 1817. In 1987, Steel blue was included as one of the X11 colors, later also known as the X11 web colors after the invention of the World Wide Web in 1991.

Variations of steel blue

Light steel blue

At right is displayed the web color light steel blue, a light tint of steel blue.

Steel blue (Crayola)

At right is displayed the color that is called "steel blue" in Crayola crayons. Steel blue has been a Crayola Metallic FX color since 2001.

Steel blue in nature

Beetles

Fish

Birds

Steel blue in culture

Sports