#72B9BF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.1% 0.072 202.6), rgb(114, 185, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.40:1).
About this color
#72B9BF is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.072 and its hue 203°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.058 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.40:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.072) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.40:1 |
| White text | 2.23:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72B9BF |
| RGB | rgb(114, 185, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(185, 38%, 60%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.1% 0.072 202.6) |
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 #72B9BF | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc -48.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72B9BF | 9.40:1 | AAA | Lc 60.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72B9BF text on white | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc 43.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72B9BF text on black | 9.40:1 | AAA | Lc -58.3 | 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
#F1F7F7
oklch(97.2% 0.006 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EDEE
oklch(93.7% 0.014 202.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DEE0
oklch(88.4% 0.025 203.1)
-
Step 300
300
#9FCACD
oklch(80.9% 0.045 201.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72B9BF
oklch(74.1% 0.072 202.6)
-
Step 500
500
#349AA2
oklch(63.2% 0.092 202.6)
-
Step 600
600
#00838B
oklch(55.5% 0.095 202.3)
-
Step 700
700
#006E75
oklch(49% 0.083 202.5)
-
Step 800
800
#005A60
oklch(42.6% 0.073 202.7)
-
Step 900
900
#0B4B4F
oklch(37.8% 0.06 201.5)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2C2E
oklch(27% 0.038 200.8)
#72B9BF 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) | #AFB3C0 | 0.073 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A2A9BF | 0.068 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #50BEBB | 0.032 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.072 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72B9BF
#72B9BF
oklch(74.1% 0.072 202.6)
- #D59A96
#D59A96
oklch(74.2% 0.071 23.3)
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 #72B9BF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.058
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.059
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.060
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.060
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.061
- Muted Teal #90B494 ΔE 0.062
- Topaz #13BBAF ΔE 0.063
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.063
Use #72B9BF 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.