#72BCD8
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(75.7% 0.084 224.3), rgb(114, 188, 216).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.90:1).
About this color
#72BCD8 is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.084 and its hue 224°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.045 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.90:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.084) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 9.90:1 |
| White text | 2.12:1 |
Values
| HEX | #72BCD8 |
| RGB | rgb(114, 188, 216) |
| HSL | hsl(196, 57%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.7% 0.084 224.3) |
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 #72BCD8 | 2.12:1 | Fails | Lc -46.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #72BCD8 | 9.90:1 | AAA | Lc 62.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #72BCD8 text on white | 2.12:1 | Fails | Lc 41.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #72BCD8 text on black | 9.90:1 | AAA | Lc -60.8 | 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
#F1F7F9
oklch(97.2% 0.007 219.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E0ECF1
oklch(93.6% 0.015 224.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DEE8
oklch(88.6% 0.029 224.7)
-
Step 300
300
#9DC9DA
oklch(81% 0.052 223.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#72BCD8
oklch(75.7% 0.084 224.3)
-
Step 500
500
#2997BA
oklch(63.2% 0.108 224.4)
-
Step 600
600
#0080A1
oklch(55.7% 0.105 224.1)
-
Step 700
700
#006B88
oklch(49.1% 0.093 224.9)
-
Step 800
800
#005870
oklch(42.8% 0.081 224.4)
-
Step 900
900
#02495D
oklch(37.7% 0.07 224.1)
-
Step 950
950
#082B36
oklch(27% 0.044 223.1)
#72BCD8 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) | #ACB9DA | 0.066 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9DADD8 | 0.060 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #3FC5C5 | 0.057 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B2B2B2 | 0.084 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #72BCD8
#72BCD8
oklch(75.7% 0.084 224.3)
- #DE9F84
#DE9F84
oklch(75.6% 0.084 44.1)
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 #72BCD8, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.045
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.047
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.050
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.058
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.061
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.067
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.067
Use #72BCD8 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.