#538BED
Closest named color: Soft Blue (#6488EA). oklch(64.5% 0.159 260.8), rgb(83, 139, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.28:1).
About this color
#538BED is a medium-light, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 65%, its chroma 0.159 and its hue 261°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Soft Blue (#6488EA), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 6.28:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (65%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.159) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Soft Blue (#6488EA) |
| Black text | 6.28:1 |
| White text | 3.34:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538BED |
| RGB | rgb(83, 139, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(218, 81%, 63%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(64.5% 0.159 260.8) |
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 #538BED | 3.34:1 | AA large text | Lc -66.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538BED | 6.28:1 | AA | Lc 43.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538BED text on white | 3.34:1 | AA large text | Lc 60.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538BED text on black | 6.28:1 | AA | Lc -41.1 | 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
#F1F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 256.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E1EAF9
oklch(93.5% 0.023 260.7)
-
Step 200
200
#C9DAF6
oklch(88.4% 0.043 260.4)
-
Step 300
300
#A4C2F3
oklch(80.9% 0.077 260.1)
-
Step 400
400
#73A0EE
oklch(70.6% 0.125 260.9)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538BED
oklch(64.5% 0.159 260.8)
-
Step 600
600
#326ED6
oklch(55.6% 0.172 260.6)
-
Step 700
700
#255BBA
oklch(49.1% 0.161 260.8)
-
Step 800
800
#204B96
oklch(42.7% 0.132 260.7)
-
Step 900
900
#1F3F78
oklch(37.6% 0.105 261)
-
Step 950
950
#132646
oklch(27.1% 0.065 260.2)
#538BED 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) | #5E94F1 | 0.028 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #4686EB | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00A1B0 | 0.130 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #8C8C8C | 0.159 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538BED
#538BED
oklch(64.5% 0.159 260.8)
- #B78300
#B78300
oklch(64.5% 0.133 80.5)
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 #538BED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Soft Blue #6488EA ΔE 0.018
- Dark Sky Blue #448EE4 ΔE 0.021
- Chefchaouen Blue #4895EF ΔE 0.026
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.034
- Dodger Blue #1E90FF ΔE 0.040
- Cornflower #6A79F7 ΔE 0.053
- Clear Blue #247AFD ΔE 0.066
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.069
Use #538BED 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.