#81B4E2
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.1% 0.086 246.4), rgb(129, 180, 226).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.56:1).
About this color
#81B4E2 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.086 and its hue 246°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.042 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.56:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.086) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.56:1 |
| White text | 2.19:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81B4E2 |
| RGB | rgb(129, 180, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(208, 63%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.1% 0.086 246.4) |
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 #81B4E2 | 2.19:1 | Fails | Lc -47.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81B4E2 | 9.56:1 | AAA | Lc 60.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81B4E2 text on white | 2.19:1 | Fails | Lc 43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81B4E2 text on black | 9.56:1 | AAA | Lc -59.0 | 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
#E2EBF4
oklch(93.6% 0.016 248)
-
Step 200
200
#CADCEC
oklch(88.6% 0.029 244.9)
-
Step 300
300
#A5C5E2
oklch(81% 0.054 245.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81B4E2
oklch(75.1% 0.086 246.4)
-
Step 500
500
#4D8FC8
oklch(63.1% 0.11 246.7)
-
Step 600
600
#2D78B5
oklch(55.6% 0.12 246.9)
-
Step 700
700
#1E659B
oklch(49.1% 0.11 246.1)
-
Step 800
800
#1C537E
oklch(42.8% 0.091 246)
-
Step 900
900
#1D4565
oklch(37.8% 0.071 245.5)
-
Step 950
950
#12283B
oklch(26.9% 0.045 246.6)
#81B4E2 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) | #A1B5E4 | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #95AAE1 | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5BBFC3 | 0.073 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AFAFAF | 0.086 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81B4E2
#81B4E2
oklch(75.1% 0.086 246.4)
- #D4A473
#D4A473
oklch(75.2% 0.086 66.5)
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 #81B4E2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.042
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.051
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.054
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.062
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.063
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.063
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.069
Use #81B4E2 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.