#81AAED
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(73.5% 0.108 260), rgb(129, 170, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.90:1).
About this color
#81AAED is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.108 and its hue 260°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.043 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.90:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.108) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 8.90:1 |
| White text | 2.35:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81AAED |
| RGB | rgb(129, 170, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 75%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.5% 0.108 260) |
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 #81AAED | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc -51.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81AAED | 8.90:1 | AAA | Lc 57.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AAED text on white | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc 46.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AAED text on black | 8.90:1 | AAA | Lc -55.7 | 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
#F2F6FC
oklch(97.2% 0.009 258.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAF7
oklch(93.5% 0.02 260.2)
-
Step 200
200
#CBDAF2
oklch(88.5% 0.037 259.8)
-
Step 300
300
#A8C2ED
oklch(80.9% 0.067 260.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81AAED
oklch(73.5% 0.108 260)
-
Step 500
500
#5688DC
oklch(63% 0.138 260.2)
-
Step 600
600
#3B70C9
oklch(55.5% 0.149 260.1)
-
Step 700
700
#2D5EAE
oklch(49.2% 0.138 259.7)
-
Step 800
800
#264D8D
oklch(42.7% 0.115 259.8)
-
Step 900
900
#244171
oklch(37.9% 0.09 259.9)
-
Step 950
950
#152642
oklch(27% 0.057 259.9)
#81AAED 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) | #91AEF0 | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #85A4EC | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #56B8C1 | 0.096 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.108 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81AAED
#81AAED
oklch(73.5% 0.108 260)
- #CDA155
#CDA155
oklch(73.4% 0.108 79.5)
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 #81AAED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.043
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.055
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.069
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.073
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.077
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.078
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.078
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.080
Use #81AAED 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.