#4E81BB
Closest named color: Cool Blue (#4984B8). oklch(59.3% 0.105 252.8), rgb(78, 129, 187).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.18:1).
About this color
#4E81BB is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 59%, its chroma 0.105 and its hue 253°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Blue (#4984B8), ΔE 0.011 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.18:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (59%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.105) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Blue (#4984B8) |
| Black text | 5.18:1 |
| White text | 4.05:1 |
Values
| HEX | #4E81BB |
| RGB | rgb(78, 129, 187) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 44%, 52%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59.3% 0.105 252.8) |
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 #4E81BB | 4.05:1 | AA large text | Lc -73.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #4E81BB | 5.18:1 | AA | Lc 36.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #4E81BB text on white | 4.05:1 | AA large text | Lc 67.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #4E81BB text on black | 5.18:1 | AA | Lc -34.1 | 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
#F2F6FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E4EBF3
oklch(93.7% 0.013 251.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDBEB
oklch(88.6% 0.027 251.7)
-
Step 300
300
#ACC3DF
oklch(80.9% 0.047 253.5)
-
Step 400
400
#7FA4CF
oklch(70.7% 0.075 252.6)
-
Step 500
500
#5E8DC3
oklch(63.2% 0.097 252.7)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#4E81BB
oklch(59.3% 0.105 252.8)
-
Step 700
700
#356396
oklch(49.1% 0.097 252.5)
-
Step 800
800
#2C517A
oklch(42.7% 0.081 252.4)
-
Step 900
900
#284362
oklch(37.6% 0.063 252.8)
-
Step 950
950
#18273A
oklch(26.9% 0.041 254.8)
#4E81BB 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) | #6984BE | 0.033 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #5B79BA | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #008E96 | 0.088 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #7E7E7E | 0.105 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #4E81BB
#4E81BB
oklch(59.3% 0.105 252.8)
- #A4732D
#A4732D
oklch(59.3% 0.105 72.6)
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 #4E81BB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.011
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.015
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.025
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.032
- Windows Blue #3778BF ΔE 0.037
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.042
- Faded Blue #658CBB ΔE 0.043
- Blue NCS #118AB2 ΔE 0.047
Use #4E81BB 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.