#3B8AAE
Closest named color: Blue NCS (#118AB2). oklch(60% 0.094 231), rgb(59, 138, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.43:1).
About this color
#3B8AAE is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.094 and its hue 231°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Blue NCS (#118AB2), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.43:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.094) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Blue NCS (#118AB2) |
| Black text | 5.43:1 |
| White text | 3.86:1 |
Values
| HEX | #3B8AAE |
| RGB | rgb(59, 138, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(199, 49%, 46%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60% 0.094 231) |
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 #3B8AAE | 3.86:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #3B8AAE | 5.43:1 | AA | Lc 38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #3B8AAE text on white | 3.86:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #3B8AAE text on black | 5.43:1 | AA | Lc -35.8 | 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
#F1F6F9
oklch(97% 0.007 233.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E1ECF1
oklch(93.6% 0.014 226.6)
-
Step 200
200
#C9DDE7
oklch(88.6% 0.025 229.2)
-
Step 300
300
#A3C7D9
oklch(80.9% 0.046 229.7)
-
Step 400
400
#70A9C6
oklch(70.6% 0.073 231.3)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#3B8AAE
oklch(60% 0.094 231)
-
Step 600
600
#1F7DA4
oklch(55.5% 0.102 231.3)
-
Step 700
700
#0D6A8D
oklch(49.2% 0.095 230.9)
-
Step 800
800
#125672
oklch(42.7% 0.079 231.2)
-
Step 900
900
#18475C
oklch(37.6% 0.062 231)
-
Step 950
950
#102A36
oklch(27.1% 0.039 230.5)
#3B8AAE 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) | #7888B0 | 0.064 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #687CAD | 0.056 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #009496 | 0.059 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #828282 | 0.094 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #3B8AAE
#3B8AAE
oklch(60% 0.094 231)
- #AD6F4A
#AD6F4A
oklch(60% 0.094 51)
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 #3B8AAE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Blue NCS #118AB2 ΔE 0.020
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.028
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.028
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.028
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.029
- Teal Blue #01889F ΔE 0.036
- Cerulean #457B9D ΔE 0.044
- Stormy Blue #507B9C ΔE 0.045
Use #3B8AAE 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.