#81AED8
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.4% 0.078 247.2), rgb(129, 174, 216).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.97:1).
About this color
#81AED8 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.078 and its hue 247°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.055 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.97:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.078) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.97:1 |
| White text | 2.33:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81AED8 |
| RGB | rgb(129, 174, 216) |
| HSL | hsl(209, 53%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.4% 0.078 247.2) |
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 #81AED8 | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc -51.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81AED8 | 8.97:1 | AAA | Lc 57.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AED8 text on white | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc 46.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AED8 text on black | 8.97:1 | AAA | Lc -56.0 | 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
#F2F6FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF3
oklch(93.6% 0.014 248)
-
Step 200
200
#CBDBEB
oklch(88.4% 0.028 248.1)
-
Step 300
300
#A8C4DF
oklch(80.8% 0.049 247.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81AED8
oklch(73.4% 0.078 247.2)
-
Step 500
500
#558FC3
oklch(63.2% 0.1 247.1)
-
Step 600
600
#3878AF
oklch(55.6% 0.108 247.2)
-
Step 700
700
#2A6597
oklch(49.2% 0.101 247.3)
-
Step 800
800
#24527A
oklch(42.6% 0.084 247.5)
-
Step 900
900
#234462
oklch(37.6% 0.065 247.8)
-
Step 950
950
#15283A
oklch(27% 0.042 248.4)
#81AED8 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) | #9DAFDA | 0.035 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92A5D7 | 0.030 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #61B8BC | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.078 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81AED8
#81AED8
oklch(73.4% 0.078 247.2)
- #CAA074
#CAA074
oklch(73.4% 0.077 67.5)
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 #81AED8, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.055
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.055
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.055
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.058
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.058
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.060
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.062
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.071
Use #81AED8 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.