#38BDFB
Closest named color: Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF). oklch(75.5% 0.142 234), rgb(56, 189, 251).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.84:1).
About this color
#38BDFB is a medium-light, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.142 and its hue 234°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF), ΔE 0.013 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.84:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.142) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF) |
| Black text | 9.84:1 |
| White text | 2.13:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38BDFB |
| RGB | rgb(56, 189, 251) |
| HSL | hsl(199, 96%, 60%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.5% 0.142 234) |
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 #38BDFB | 2.13:1 | Fails | Lc -46.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #38BDFB | 9.84:1 | AAA | Lc 62.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #38BDFB text on white | 2.13:1 | Fails | Lc 41.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #38BDFB text on black | 9.84:1 | AAA | Lc -60.8 | Content text, not long reading |
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
#EEF7FC
oklch(97.1% 0.012 231.7)
-
Step 100
100
#DAEDF9
oklch(93.6% 0.026 235.4)
-
Step 200
200
#BADFF5
oklch(88.4% 0.049 234.2)
-
Step 300
300
#86CBF1
oklch(81% 0.088 233.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#38BDFB
oklch(75.5% 0.142 234)
-
Step 500
500
#0095CD
oklch(63.1% 0.132 234.2)
-
Step 600
600
#007DAD
oklch(55.6% 0.117 234.3)
-
Step 700
700
#006992
oklch(49.1% 0.103 234.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005678
oklch(42.7% 0.089 233.9)
-
Step 900
900
#004865
oklch(37.8% 0.079 233.7)
-
Step 950
950
#002A3E
oklch(26.9% 0.057 235.2)
#38BDFB 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) | #9EBCFE | 0.088 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #84A9FA | 0.074 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00CDD2 | 0.086 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.142 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38BDFB
#38BDFB
oklch(75.5% 0.142 234)
- #F49451
#F49451
oklch(75.4% 0.142 53.6)
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 #38BDFB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.013
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.040
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.043
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.061
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.065
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.070
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.081
- Turquoise Blue #06B1C4 ΔE 0.085
Use #38BDFB 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.