#72B8FF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.5% 0.125 250.1), rgb(114, 184, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.01:1).
About this color
#72B8FF is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.125 and its hue 250°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.01:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.125) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.01:1 |
| White text | 2.09:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B8FF |
| RGB | rgb(114, 184, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(210, 100%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.5% 0.125 250.1) |
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 #72B8FF | 2.09:1 | Fails | Lc -45.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B8FF | 10.01:1 | AAA | Lc 63.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72B8FF text on white | 2.09:1 | Fails | Lc 40.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B8FF text on black | 10.01:1 | AAA | Lc -61.4 | 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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#EFF6FF
oklch(97% 0.014 254.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DAECFF
oklch(93.6% 0.032 249.6)
-
Step 200
200
#BDDDFF
oklch(88.5% 0.058 250.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#72B8FF
oklch(76.5% 0.125 250.1)
-
Step 400
400
#46A5FF
oklch(70.7% 0.159 250.1)
-
Step 500
500
#008CF0
oklch(63.1% 0.179 250.1)
-
Step 600
600
#0076CB
oklch(55.7% 0.158 250)
-
Step 700
700
#0063AC
oklch(49.2% 0.139 250)
-
Step 800
800
#00518E
oklch(42.8% 0.121 249.9)
-
Step 900
900
#004377
oklch(37.7% 0.106 249.9)
-
Step 950
950
#00274A
oklch(26.9% 0.077 250.5)
#72B8FF 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) | #9ABBFF | 0.045 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #88ADFE | 0.034 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00C8D1 | 0.107 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B3B3B3 | 0.125 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B8FF
#72B8FF
oklch(76.5% 0.125 250.1)
- #E5A452
#E5A452
oklch(76.5% 0.125 70.3)
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 #72B8FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.025
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.051
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.054
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.055
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.058
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.061
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.068
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.068
Use #72B8FF 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.