#38B9FA
Closest named color: Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF). oklch(74.5% 0.143 235.9), rgb(56, 185, 250).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.48:1).
About this color
#38B9FA is a medium-light, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.143 and its hue 236°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.143) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF) |
| Black text | 9.48:1 |
| White text | 2.21:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38B9FA |
| RGB | rgb(56, 185, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(200, 95%, 60%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.5% 0.143 235.9) |
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 #38B9FA | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc -47.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #38B9FA | 9.48:1 | AAA | Lc 60.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #38B9FA text on white | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc 43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #38B9FA text on black | 9.48:1 | AAA | Lc -59.0 | 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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#EEF7FD
oklch(97.1% 0.013 236.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DAEDF9
oklch(93.6% 0.026 235.4)
-
Step 200
200
#BBDFF6
oklch(88.5% 0.049 236.2)
-
Step 300
300
#87CAF3
oklch(80.9% 0.089 236.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#38B9FA
oklch(74.5% 0.143 235.9)
-
Step 500
500
#0094D0
oklch(63.1% 0.136 236.2)
-
Step 600
600
#007CAF
oklch(55.5% 0.12 236.1)
-
Step 700
700
#006994
oklch(49.2% 0.105 235.5)
-
Step 800
800
#00567A
oklch(42.8% 0.091 235.4)
-
Step 900
900
#004766
oklch(37.6% 0.081 235.8)
-
Step 950
950
#002A3F
oklch(27% 0.059 236.5)
#38B9FA 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) | #99B8FD | 0.084 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #80A6F9 | 0.070 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00CACF | 0.091 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AEAEAE | 0.143 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38B9FA
#38B9FA
oklch(74.5% 0.143 235.9)
- #F09249
#F09249
oklch(74.5% 0.143 55.9)
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 #38B9FA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.018
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.050
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.053
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.067
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.069
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.078
- Turquoise Blue #06B1C4 ΔE 0.083
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.090
Use #38B9FA 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.