#538BAD
Closest named color: Dusty Blue (#5A86AD). oklch(61.2% 0.079 236.7), rgb(83, 139, 173).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.66:1).
About this color
#538BAD is a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 61%, its chroma 0.079 and its hue 237°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Blue (#5A86AD), ΔE 0.015 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.66:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (61%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.079) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Blue (#5A86AD) |
| Black text | 5.66:1 |
| White text | 3.70:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538BAD |
| RGB | rgb(83, 139, 173) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 35%, 50%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(61.2% 0.079 236.7) |
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 #538BAD | 3.70:1 | AA large text | Lc -70.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538BAD | 5.66:1 | AA | Lc 39.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538BAD text on white | 3.70:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538BAD text on black | 5.66:1 | AA | Lc -37.1 | 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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F2F6F8
oklch(97.1% 0.005 228.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF0
oklch(93.5% 0.011 234.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDCE6
oklch(88.6% 0.021 236.8)
-
Step 300
300
#AAC5D7
oklch(80.9% 0.039 237.2)
-
Step 400
400
#7CA7C2
oklch(70.7% 0.061 236.3)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538BAD
oklch(61.2% 0.079 236.7)
-
Step 600
600
#3C7B9F
oklch(55.7% 0.086 236.2)
-
Step 700
700
#2E6788
oklch(49.1% 0.08 236.9)
-
Step 800
800
#27546E
oklch(42.6% 0.066 236.5)
-
Step 900
900
#254659
oklch(37.8% 0.051 235.5)
-
Step 950
950
#162934
oklch(27% 0.032 235.1)
#538BAD 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) | #7B8AAF | 0.047 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #6F80AC | 0.042 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #209496 | 0.062 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #858585 | 0.079 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538BAD
#538BAD
oklch(61.2% 0.079 236.7)
- #A87754
#A87754
oklch(61.1% 0.079 56.2)
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 #538BAD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.015
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.021
- Faded Blue #658CBB ΔE 0.031
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.032
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.035
- Blue NCS #118AB2 ΔE 0.041
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.042
- Silver Lake Blue #778DA9 ΔE 0.043
Use #538BAD 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.