#169CED
Closest named color: Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF). oklch(66.7% 0.158 243.7), rgb(22, 156, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (7.01:1).
About this color
#169CED is a medium-light, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 67%, its chroma 0.158 and its hue 244°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 7.01:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (67%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.158) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF) |
| Black text | 7.01:1 |
| White text | 2.99:1 |
Values
| HEX | #169CED |
| RGB | rgb(22, 156, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 86%, 51%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(66.7% 0.158 243.7) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #169CED | 2.99:1 | Fails | Lc -61.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #169CED | 7.01:1 | AAA | Lc 48.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #169CED text on white | 2.99:1 | Fails | Lc 56.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #169CED text on black | 7.01:1 | AAA | Lc -45.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F0F6FC
oklch(97% 0.01 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#DEECF8
oklch(93.6% 0.022 243.8)
-
Step 200
200
#C2DDF4
oklch(88.5% 0.043 244)
-
Step 300
300
#96C7EF
oklch(80.9% 0.077 243.5)
-
Step 400
400
#54A8E8
oklch(70.6% 0.125 243.9)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#169CED
oklch(66.7% 0.158 243.7)
-
Step 600
600
#0079BC
oklch(55.5% 0.136 243.9)
-
Step 700
700
#00669F
oklch(49.1% 0.12 243.6)
-
Step 800
800
#005383
oklch(42.6% 0.105 243.8)
-
Step 900
900
#00456E
oklch(37.6% 0.092 243.7)
-
Step 950
950
#012944
oklch(27.1% 0.066 244.1)
#169CED with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #759FF0 | 0.068 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #578DEB | 0.049 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00B0B9 | 0.109 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #959595 | 0.158 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #169CED
#169CED
oklch(66.7% 0.158 243.7)
- #D37C00
#D37C00
oklch(66.6% 0.151 63.6)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #169CED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Chefchaouen Blue #4895EF ΔE 0.029
- Dark Sky Blue #448EE4 ΔE 0.039
- Dodger Blue #1E90FF ΔE 0.045
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.049
- Soft Blue #6488EA ΔE 0.066
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.071
- Faded Blue #658CBB ΔE 0.086
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.091
Use #169CED in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.