#2B81DE
Closest named color: Water Blue (#0E87CC). oklch(60.1% 0.163 253.7), rgb(43, 129, 222).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.29:1).
About this color
#2B81DE is a medium-dark, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.163 and its hue 254°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Water Blue (#0E87CC), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.29:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.163) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Water Blue (#0E87CC) |
| Black text | 5.29:1 |
| White text | 3.96:1 |
Values
| HEX | #2B81DE |
| RGB | rgb(43, 129, 222) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 73%, 52%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.1% 0.163 253.7) |
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 #2B81DE | 3.96:1 | AA large text | Lc -72.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #2B81DE | 5.29:1 | AA | Lc 37.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #2B81DE text on white | 3.96:1 | AA large text | Lc 66.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #2B81DE text on black | 5.29:1 | AA | Lc -35.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
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
#F1F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 256.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBF9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 254.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DBF6
oklch(88.4% 0.044 253.6)
-
Step 300
300
#9DC4F4
oklch(80.9% 0.08 253.9)
-
Step 400
400
#65A4EE
oklch(70.8% 0.127 253.5)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#2B81DE
oklch(60.1% 0.163 253.7)
-
Step 600
600
#0072D6
oklch(55.6% 0.176 253.8)
-
Step 700
700
#0060B5
oklch(49.2% 0.155 253.6)
-
Step 800
800
#004E96
oklch(42.7% 0.135 253.8)
-
Step 900
900
#0E4278
oklch(37.8% 0.106 253.5)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2746
oklch(27% 0.067 253.4)
#2B81DE 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) | #5288E2 | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #3178DC | 0.023 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #0097A5 | 0.121 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #808080 | 0.163 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #2B81DE
#2B81DE
oklch(60.1% 0.163 253.7)
- #AD7300
#AD7300
oklch(60.1% 0.127 74.1)
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 #2B81DE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.036
- Dark Sky Blue #448EE4 ΔE 0.042
- Windows Blue #3778BF ΔE 0.049
- Clear Blue #247AFD ΔE 0.052
- Dodger Blue #1E90FF ΔE 0.058
- Soft Blue #6488EA ΔE 0.059
- Cerulean Blue #056EEE ΔE 0.061
- Royal Blue #4169E1 ΔE 0.062
Use #2B81DE 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.