#72BAD5
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(75.2% 0.082 224), rgb(114, 186, 213).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.69:1).
About this color
#72BAD5 is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.082 and its hue 224°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.69:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.082) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 9.69:1 |
| White text | 2.16:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72BAD5 |
| RGB | rgb(114, 186, 213) |
| HSL | hsl(196, 54%, 64%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.2% 0.082 224) |
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 #72BAD5 | 2.16:1 | Fails | Lc -47.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72BAD5 | 9.69:1 | AAA | Lc 61.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72BAD5 text on white | 2.16:1 | Fails | Lc 42.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72BAD5 text on black | 9.69:1 | AAA | Lc -59.8 | 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
#E0ECF1
oklch(93.6% 0.015 224.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DEE7
oklch(88.6% 0.028 222.3)
-
Step 300
300
#9EC8D9
oklch(80.8% 0.05 224.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72BAD5
oklch(75.2% 0.082 224)
-
Step 500
500
#2E97B8
oklch(63.2% 0.104 223.5)
-
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
#06495C
oklch(37.7% 0.068 223.5)
-
Step 950
950
#092B36
oklch(27.1% 0.043 223.5)
#72BAD5 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) | #ABB7D6 | 0.065 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CABD5 | 0.059 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #42C2C2 | 0.055 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B0B0B0 | 0.082 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72BAD5
#72BAD5
oklch(75.2% 0.082 224)
- #DB9E84
#DB9E84
oklch(75.1% 0.082 44)
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 #72BAD5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.048
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.050
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.055
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.063
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.066
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.067
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.068
Use #72BAD5 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.