#42A5E7
Closest named color: Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF). oklch(69.3% 0.133 241.7), rgb(66, 165, 231).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (7.76:1).
About this color
#42A5E7 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 69%, its chroma 0.133 and its hue 242°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 7.76:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (69%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.133) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Chefchaouen Blue (#4895EF) |
| Black text | 7.76:1 |
| White text | 2.70:1 |
Values
| HEX | #42A5E7 |
| RGB | rgb(66, 165, 231) |
| HSL | hsl(204, 77%, 58%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(69.3% 0.133 241.7) |
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 #42A5E7 | 2.70:1 | Fails | Lc -57.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #42A5E7 | 7.76:1 | AAA | Lc 51.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #42A5E7 text on white | 2.70:1 | Fails | Lc 52.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #42A5E7 text on black | 7.76:1 | AAA | Lc -49.8 | 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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#EFF7FC
oklch(97.2% 0.011 234.8)
-
Step 100
100
#DCECF9
oklch(93.5% 0.025 242.3)
-
Step 200
200
#BFDEF6
oklch(88.6% 0.047 241.4)
-
Step 300
300
#90C8F2
oklch(80.9% 0.083 241.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#42A5E7
oklch(69.3% 0.133 241.7)
-
Step 500
500
#0092DB
oklch(63.2% 0.149 241.7)
-
Step 600
600
#007AB9
oklch(55.5% 0.132 242.1)
-
Step 700
700
#00679C
oklch(49.2% 0.116 241.5)
-
Step 800
800
#005481
oklch(42.7% 0.101 241.9)
-
Step 900
900
#00466C
oklch(37.7% 0.089 241.5)
-
Step 950
950
#002942
oklch(26.9% 0.063 241.6)
#42A5E7 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) | #87A6EA | 0.066 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7096E6 | 0.052 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00B5BC | 0.092 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #9D9D9D | 0.133 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #42A5E7
#42A5E7
oklch(69.3% 0.133 241.7)
- #D68739
#D68739
oklch(69.2% 0.133 61.8)
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 #42A5E7, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Chefchaouen Blue #4895EF ΔE 0.048
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.051
- Dark Sky Blue #448EE4 ΔE 0.062
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.070
- Turquoise Blue #06B1C4 ΔE 0.074
- Dodger Blue #1E90FF ΔE 0.077
- Soft Blue #6488EA ΔE 0.080
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.082
Use #42A5E7 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.