#72A5EB
Closest named color: Cornflower Blue (#6495ED). oklch(71.5% 0.117 256.5), rgb(114, 165, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.29:1).
About this color
#72A5EB is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 71%, its chroma 0.117 and its hue 257°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cornflower Blue (#6495ED), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.29:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (71%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.117) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cornflower Blue (#6495ED) |
| Black text | 8.29:1 |
| White text | 2.53:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72A5EB |
| RGB | rgb(114, 165, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(215, 75%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.5% 0.117 256.5) |
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 #72A5EB | 2.53:1 | Fails | Lc -54.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72A5EB | 8.29:1 | AAA | Lc 54.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72A5EB text on white | 2.53:1 | Fails | Lc 49.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72A5EB text on black | 8.29:1 | AAA | Lc -52.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F1F6FC
oklch(97.1% 0.01 252.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E1EBF8
oklch(93.6% 0.021 254.9)
-
Step 200
200
#C8DBF4
oklch(88.5% 0.04 255.3)
-
Step 300
300
#A3C3F0
oklch(80.9% 0.073 256.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72A5EB
oklch(71.5% 0.117 256.5)
-
Step 500
500
#488AE2
oklch(63.2% 0.149 256.4)
-
Step 600
600
#2871CF
oklch(55.5% 0.162 256.6)
-
Step 700
700
#1A5FB4
oklch(49.2% 0.151 256.4)
-
Step 800
800
#194E91
oklch(42.8% 0.124 256.3)
-
Step 900
900
#1B4174
oklch(37.7% 0.098 256.7)
-
Step 950
950
#112744
oklch(27.1% 0.061 256.1)
#72A5EB 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) | #89A9EE | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7A9EEA | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #34B5BE | 0.103 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.117 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72A5EB
#72A5EB
oklch(71.5% 0.117 256.5)
- #CC9946
#CC9946
oklch(71.6% 0.117 77.1)
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 #72A5EB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.048
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.054
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.063
- Chefchaouen Blue #4895EF ΔE 0.064
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.070
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.079
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.080
- Soft Blue #6488EA ΔE 0.081
Use #72A5EB 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.