#81AEF5
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.7% 0.114 259.3), rgb(129, 174, 245).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.30:1).
About this color
#81AEF5 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.114 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.30:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.114) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.30:1 |
| White text | 2.25:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81AEF5 |
| RGB | rgb(129, 174, 245) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 85%, 73%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.7% 0.114 259.3) |
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 #81AEF5 | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc -49.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81AEF5 | 9.30:1 | AAA | Lc 59.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AEF5 text on white | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc 44.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81AEF5 text on black | 9.30:1 | AAA | Lc -57.8 | 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
#F2F6FC
oklch(97.2% 0.009 258.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAF8
oklch(93.5% 0.021 261.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CADAF4
oklch(88.4% 0.04 260.1)
-
Step 300
300
#A5C2EF
oklch(80.8% 0.071 259.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81AEF5
oklch(74.7% 0.114 259.3)
-
Step 500
500
#5188E0
oklch(63% 0.145 259.4)
-
Step 600
600
#3470CE
oklch(55.6% 0.158 259.2)
-
Step 700
700
#275DB3
oklch(49.1% 0.148 259.5)
-
Step 800
800
#214D91
oklch(42.8% 0.122 259)
-
Step 900
900
#204073
oklch(37.6% 0.095 259.4)
-
Step 950
950
#142643
oklch(27% 0.059 259.5)
#81AEF5 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) | #93B3F8 | 0.026 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #86A8F3 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #50BDC7 | 0.101 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.114 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81AEF5
#81AEF5
oklch(74.7% 0.114 259.3)
- #D3A452
#D3A452
oklch(74.6% 0.114 79.4)
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 #81AEF5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.030
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.058
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.063
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.070
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.074
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.075
- Cornflower Blue #6495ED ΔE 0.077
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.077
Use #81AEF5 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.