#72B1EA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74% 0.105 247), rgb(114, 177, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.19:1).
About this color
#72B1EA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.105 and its hue 247°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.043 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.19:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.105) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.19:1 |
| White text | 2.28:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B1EA |
| RGB | rgb(114, 177, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(209, 74%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74% 0.105 247) |
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 #72B1EA | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc -49.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B1EA | 9.19:1 | AAA | Lc 59.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72B1EA text on white | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc 44.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B1EA text on black | 9.19:1 | AAA | Lc -57.2 | 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
#F1F6FB
oklch(97.1% 0.009 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBF6
oklch(93.5% 0.019 248)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DCF1
oklch(88.5% 0.037 248.2)
-
Step 300
300
#9FC5E9
oklch(80.8% 0.065 247.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72B1EA
oklch(74% 0.105 247)
-
Step 500
500
#398FD6
oklch(63.1% 0.135 247.1)
-
Step 600
600
#0078C3
oklch(55.7% 0.146 246.8)
-
Step 700
700
#0064A5
oklch(49% 0.13 247.2)
-
Step 800
800
#005288
oklch(42.7% 0.112 246.9)
-
Step 900
900
#10446D
oklch(37.6% 0.088 247.3)
-
Step 950
950
#0C2840
oklch(26.9% 0.056 247.6)
#72B1EA 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) | #99B2ED | 0.045 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8AA6E9 | 0.037 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #31BEC4 | 0.090 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.105 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B1EA
#72B1EA
oklch(74% 0.105 247)
- #D89E5F
#D89E5F
oklch(74.2% 0.106 67.2)
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 #72B1EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.043
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.061
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.063
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.066
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.070
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.071
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.072
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.074
Use #72B1EA 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.