#81B2CD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.9% 0.065 232.9), rgb(129, 178, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.18:1).
About this color
#81B2CD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.065 and its hue 233°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.044 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.18:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.065) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.18:1 |
| White text | 2.28:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81B2CD |
| RGB | rgb(129, 178, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(201, 43%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.9% 0.065 232.9) |
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 #81B2CD | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc -49.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81B2CD | 9.18:1 | AAA | Lc 58.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81B2CD text on white | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc 45.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81B2CD text on black | 9.18:1 | AAA | Lc -57.1 | 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
#F2F6F8
oklch(97.1% 0.005 228.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF0
oklch(93.5% 0.011 234.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CBDCE6
oklch(88.5% 0.023 233.4)
-
Step 300
300
#A8C6D7
oklch(81% 0.04 232.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81B2CD
oklch(73.9% 0.065 232.9)
-
Step 500
500
#5292B4
oklch(63.1% 0.083 233.4)
-
Step 600
600
#337C9F
oklch(55.6% 0.09 232.5)
-
Step 700
700
#256888
oklch(49% 0.084 233)
-
Step 800
800
#21556F
oklch(42.7% 0.07 233.5)
-
Step 900
900
#21465A
oklch(37.6% 0.054 234.4)
-
Step 950
950
#142934
oklch(26.9% 0.034 232.8)
#81B2CD 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) | #A5B0CE | 0.044 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9AA8CD | 0.039 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #66B9BB | 0.047 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.065 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81B2CD
#81B2CD
oklch(73.9% 0.065 232.9)
- #CCA084
#CCA084
oklch(73.9% 0.065 53.9)
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 #81B2CD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.044
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.046
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.048
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.052
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.054
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.054
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.060
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.060
Use #81B2CD 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.