#72B1FA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.8% 0.125 253), rgb(114, 177, 250).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.38:1).
About this color
#72B1FA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.125 and its hue 253°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.38:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.125) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.38:1 |
| White text | 2.23:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B1FA |
| RGB | rgb(114, 177, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 93%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.8% 0.125 253) |
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 #72B1FA | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc -48.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B1FA | 9.38:1 | AAA | Lc 60.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72B1FA text on white | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc 43.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B1FA text on black | 9.38:1 | AAA | Lc -58.2 | 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
#F1F6FC
oklch(97.1% 0.01 252.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBF9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 254.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DBF6
oklch(88.4% 0.044 254.8)
-
Step 300
300
#9DC4F2
oklch(80.8% 0.078 252.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72B1FA
oklch(74.8% 0.125 253)
-
Step 500
500
#368BE6
oklch(63.1% 0.159 253)
-
Step 600
600
#0073D4
oklch(55.6% 0.172 253.1)
-
Step 700
700
#0060B3
oklch(49% 0.152 253.2)
-
Step 800
800
#004F94
oklch(42.8% 0.131 252.8)
-
Step 900
900
#0E4277
oklch(37.7% 0.105 253.1)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2745
oklch(26.9% 0.065 252.8)
#72B1FA 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) | #93B5FD | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #82A7F9 | 0.029 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #13C2CB | 0.109 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.125 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B1FA
#72B1FA
oklch(74.8% 0.125 253)
- #DDA04A
#DDA04A
oklch(74.8% 0.125 73)
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 #72B1FA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.034
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.059
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.066
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.067
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.069
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.071
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.074
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.077
Use #72B1FA 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.