#72A9FF
Closest named color: Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB). oklch(73.3% 0.138 259), rgb(114, 169, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.83:1).
About this color
#72A9FF is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.138 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB), ΔE 0.049 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.83:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.138) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB) |
| Black text | 8.83:1 |
| White text | 2.37:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72A9FF |
| RGB | rgb(114, 169, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 100%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.3% 0.138 259) |
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 #72A9FF | 2.37:1 | Fails | Lc -51.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72A9FF | 8.83:1 | AAA | Lc 57.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72A9FF text on white | 2.37:1 | Fails | Lc 46.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72A9FF text on black | 8.83:1 | AAA | Lc -55.4 | 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
#F1F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 256.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBFB
oklch(93.7% 0.025 257.6)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DBFA
oklch(88.6% 0.048 258)
-
Step 300
300
#9FC2F9
oklch(80.8% 0.087 259.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72A9FF
oklch(73.3% 0.138 259)
-
Step 500
500
#4086F2
oklch(63% 0.177 259)
-
Step 600
600
#1E6DE1
oklch(55.7% 0.192 259)
-
Step 700
700
#0F5AC3
oklch(49.1% 0.178 259)
-
Step 800
800
#114A9E
oklch(42.7% 0.148 259.1)
-
Step 900
900
#163F7D
oklch(37.7% 0.115 258.9)
-
Step 950
950
#0E2549
oklch(26.8% 0.073 259.1)
#72A9FF 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) | #86AFFF | 0.029 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #74A2FD | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #07BCC8 | 0.124 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.138 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72A9FF
#72A9FF
oklch(73.3% 0.138 259)
- #D79D2D
#D79D2D
oklch(73.3% 0.138 79)
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 #72A9FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.049
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.051
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.059
- Chefchaouen Blue #4895EF ΔE 0.073
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.074
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.078
- Lavender Blue #8B88F8 ΔE 0.084
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.086
Use #72A9FF 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.