#81B2FF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76% 0.123 259.2), rgb(129, 178, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.74:1).
About this color
#81B2FF is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.123 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.74:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.123) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.74:1 |
| White text | 2.15:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81B2FF |
| RGB | rgb(129, 178, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 100%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76% 0.123 259.2) |
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 #81B2FF | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc -46.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81B2FF | 9.74:1 | AAA | Lc 61.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81B2FF text on white | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc 42.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81B2FF text on black | 9.74:1 | AAA | Lc -60.0 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F0F6FF
oklch(97.1% 0.014 258.3)
-
Step 100
100
#DEEBFF
oklch(93.6% 0.031 258.9)
-
Step 200
200
#C3DBFF
oklch(88.5% 0.056 258.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#81B2FF
oklch(76% 0.123 259.2)
-
Step 400
400
#63A0FF
oklch(70.7% 0.154 259)
-
Step 500
500
#3484FF
oklch(63.1% 0.199 259.1)
-
Step 600
600
#0069EF
oklch(55.6% 0.218 259.2)
-
Step 700
700
#0058CA
oklch(49.1% 0.191 259.1)
-
Step 800
800
#0048A8
oklch(42.8% 0.167 259.1)
-
Step 900
900
#003B8E
oklch(37.7% 0.148 259.3)
-
Step 950
950
#012258
oklch(26.9% 0.105 259.6)
#81B2FF 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) | #94B7FF | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #85ABFD | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #47C3CD | 0.110 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.123 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81B2FF
#81B2FF
oklch(76% 0.123 259.2)
- #DBA74C
#DBA74C
oklch(76% 0.124 78.9)
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 #81B2FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.020
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.055
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.064
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.064
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.066
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.072
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.079
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.080
Use #81B2FF 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.