#72B5FD
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.8% 0.125 251.4), rgb(114, 181, 253).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.74:1).
About this color
#72B5FD is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.125 and its hue 251°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.74:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.125) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.74:1 |
| White text | 2.15:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B5FD |
| RGB | rgb(114, 181, 253) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 97%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.8% 0.125 251.4) |
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 #72B5FD | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc -46.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B5FD | 9.74:1 | AAA | Lc 61.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72B5FD text on white | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc 42.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B5FD text on black | 9.74:1 | AAA | Lc -60.0 | Content text, not long reading |
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
#F0F6FC
oklch(97% 0.01 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#DFEBF9
oklch(93.5% 0.023 252.2)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DCF6
oklch(88.6% 0.044 251.5)
-
Step 300
300
#9CC5F2
oklch(81% 0.078 251.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72B5FD
oklch(75.8% 0.125 251.4)
-
Step 500
500
#2F8CE6
oklch(63.1% 0.16 251.5)
-
Step 600
600
#0075CE
oklch(55.7% 0.162 251.1)
-
Step 700
700
#0062AF
oklch(49.2% 0.144 251.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005090
oklch(42.7% 0.125 251.1)
-
Step 900
900
#094376
oklch(37.8% 0.103 251.1)
-
Step 950
950
#092745
oklch(26.9% 0.066 251.7)
#72B5FD 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) | #97B8FF | 0.042 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #85AAFC | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #01C6CE | 0.110 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.125 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B5FD
#72B5FD
oklch(75.8% 0.125 251.4)
- #E2A24F
#E2A24F
oklch(75.8% 0.125 70.9)
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 #72B5FD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.027
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.055
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.057
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.062
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.063
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.066
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.074
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.075
Use #72B5FD 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.