#81AFCD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.2% 0.066 237.4), rgb(129, 175, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.94:1).
About this color
#81AFCD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.066 and its hue 237°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.042 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.94:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.066) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.94:1 |
| White text | 2.34:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81AFCD |
| RGB | rgb(129, 175, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(204, 43%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.2% 0.066 237.4) |
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 #81AFCD | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc -51.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81AFCD | 8.94:1 | AAA | Lc 57.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AFCD text on white | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc 46.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AFCD text on black | 8.94:1 | AAA | Lc -55.8 | 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
#F2F6F9
oklch(97.1% 0.006 239.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF1
oklch(93.6% 0.012 239.9)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDCE7
oklch(88.6% 0.023 237.7)
-
Step 300
300
#A9C5D8
oklch(80.9% 0.041 237.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81AFCD
oklch(73.2% 0.066 237.4)
-
Step 500
500
#5591B6
oklch(63.1% 0.084 237.2)
-
Step 600
600
#387BA2
oklch(55.7% 0.091 237.1)
-
Step 700
700
#29678B
oklch(49% 0.085 237.7)
-
Step 800
800
#245471
oklch(42.6% 0.071 238.1)
-
Step 900
900
#23465B
oklch(37.8% 0.054 236.9)
-
Step 950
950
#152935
oklch(27% 0.034 236.3)
#81AFCD 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) | #A2AECF | 0.041 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #97A5CD | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #66B7B9 | 0.051 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.066 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81AFCD
#81AFCD
oklch(73.2% 0.066 237.4)
- #C99E80
#C99E80
oklch(73.1% 0.066 56.4)
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 #81AFCD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.042
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.043
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.049
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.049
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.052
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.058
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.059
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.063
Use #81AFCD 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.