#538AB9
Closest named color: Dusty Blue (#5A86AD). oklch(61.5% 0.093 245.8), rgb(83, 138, 185).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.70:1).
About this color
#538AB9 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 62%, its chroma 0.093 and its hue 246°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Blue (#5A86AD), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.70:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (62%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.093) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Blue (#5A86AD) |
| Black text | 5.70:1 |
| White text | 3.68:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538AB9 |
| RGB | rgb(83, 138, 185) |
| HSL | hsl(208, 42%, 53%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(61.5% 0.093 245.8) |
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 #538AB9 | 3.68:1 | AA large text | Lc -69.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538AB9 | 5.70:1 | AA | Lc 39.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538AB9 text on white | 3.68:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538AB9 text on black | 5.70:1 | AA | Lc -37.4 | 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
#F2F6F9
oklch(97.1% 0.006 239.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF2
oklch(93.6% 0.013 244.3)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDBE9
oklch(88.4% 0.025 246.2)
-
Step 300
300
#A9C4DD
oklch(80.8% 0.046 246.3)
-
Step 400
400
#7BA6CB
oklch(70.8% 0.072 245)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538AB9
oklch(61.5% 0.093 245.8)
-
Step 600
600
#3C78AA
oklch(55.5% 0.1 246.1)
-
Step 700
700
#2D6592
oklch(49.1% 0.093 245.6)
-
Step 800
800
#275377
oklch(42.8% 0.077 245.7)
-
Step 900
900
#244560
oklch(37.8% 0.061 245.1)
-
Step 950
950
#162838
oklch(26.9% 0.038 246.6)
#538AB9 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) | #768BBB | 0.041 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #6981B8 | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #08959A | 0.078 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #858585 | 0.093 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538AB9
#538AB9
oklch(61.5% 0.093 245.8)
- #AB7945
#AB7945
oklch(61.6% 0.093 65.7)
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 #538AB9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.019
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.021
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.021
- Faded Blue #658CBB ΔE 0.021
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.028
- Blue NCS #118AB2 ΔE 0.044
- Silver Lake Blue #778DA9 ΔE 0.049
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.051
Use #538AB9 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.