#72B5CE
Closest named color: Bluegrey (#85A3B2). oklch(73.8% 0.077 223.8), rgb(114, 181, 206).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.21:1).
About this color
#72B5CE is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.077 and its hue 224°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Bluegrey (#85A3B2), ΔE 0.055 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.21:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.077) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Bluegrey (#85A3B2) |
| Black text | 9.21:1 |
| White text | 2.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B5CE |
| RGB | rgb(114, 181, 206) |
| HSL | hsl(196, 48%, 63%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.8% 0.077 223.8) |
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 #72B5CE | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc -49.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B5CE | 9.21:1 | AAA | Lc 59.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #72B5CE text on white | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc 44.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B5CE text on black | 9.21:1 | AAA | Lc -57.3 | 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
#F1F6F9
oklch(97% 0.007 233.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E1ECF1
oklch(93.6% 0.014 226.6)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DDE6
oklch(88.4% 0.027 224.3)
-
Step 300
300
#A0C8D8
oklch(80.9% 0.048 224.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72B5CE
oklch(73.8% 0.077 223.8)
-
Step 500
500
#3896B5
oklch(63.1% 0.098 223.6)
-
Step 600
600
#0080A0
oklch(55.7% 0.104 223.4)
-
Step 700
700
#006B87
oklch(49% 0.092 224)
-
Step 800
800
#00586F
oklch(42.7% 0.08 223.4)
-
Step 900
900
#0E495B
oklch(37.8% 0.064 223.6)
-
Step 950
950
#0C2B35
oklch(27.1% 0.04 222.7)
#72B5CE 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) | #A7B2CF | 0.062 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #99A7CE | 0.056 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #48BDBD | 0.052 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.077 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B5CE
#72B5CE
oklch(73.8% 0.077 223.8)
- #D49B83
#D49B83
oklch(73.8% 0.077 43.8)
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 #72B5CE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.055
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.055
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.056
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.057
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.057
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.062
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.063
- Turquoise Blue #06B1C4 ΔE 0.064
Use #72B5CE 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.