#4E81B5
Closest named color: Steel Blue (#4682B4). oklch(59% 0.097 250.2), rgb(78, 129, 181).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.13:1).
About this color
#4E81B5 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 59%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 250°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Steel Blue (#4682B4), ΔE 0.008 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.13:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (59%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Steel Blue (#4682B4) |
| Black text | 5.13:1 |
| White text | 4.09:1 |
Values
| HEX | #4E81B5 |
| RGB | rgb(78, 129, 181) |
| HSL | hsl(210, 41%, 51%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59% 0.097 250.2) |
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 #4E81B5 | 4.09:1 | AA large text | Lc -73.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #4E81B5 | 5.13:1 | AA | Lc 36.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #4E81B5 text on white | 4.09:1 | AA large text | Lc 67.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #4E81B5 text on black | 5.13:1 | AA | Lc -33.7 | 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 600.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6F9
oklch(97.2% 0.005 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E4EBF2
oklch(93.7% 0.012 248)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDBE9
oklch(88.6% 0.024 250.1)
-
Step 300
300
#ACC3DC
oklch(80.8% 0.043 250.6)
-
Step 400
400
#80A4CB
oklch(70.6% 0.07 250.8)
-
Step 500
500
#5F8DBE
oklch(63% 0.09 250.9)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#4E81B5
oklch(59% 0.097 250.2)
-
Step 700
700
#356492
oklch(49.1% 0.09 249.7)
-
Step 800
800
#2D5176
oklch(42.6% 0.075 250.6)
-
Step 900
900
#294460
oklch(37.8% 0.058 250.4)
-
Step 950
950
#182838
oklch(27.1% 0.037 249.3)
#4E81B5 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) | #6B83B7 | 0.035 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #5E79B4 | 0.026 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #008D93 | 0.084 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #7D7D7D | 0.097 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #4E81B5
#4E81B5
oklch(59% 0.097 250.2)
- #A27236
#A27236
oklch(58.9% 0.098 69.9)
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 #4E81B5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.008
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.009
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.018
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.025
- Stormy Blue #507B9C ΔE 0.039
- Cerulean #457B9D ΔE 0.040
- Windows Blue #3778BF ΔE 0.040
- Faded Blue #658CBB ΔE 0.043
Use #4E81B5 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.