#81BAFA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77.5% 0.11 252.1), rgb(129, 186, 250).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.33:1).
About this color
#81BAFA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.110 and its hue 252°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.013 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.33:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.110) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.33:1 |
| White text | 2.03:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81BAFA |
| RGB | rgb(129, 186, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 92%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.5% 0.11 252.1) |
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 #81BAFA | 2.03:1 | Fails | Lc -43.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #81BAFA | 10.33:1 | AAA | Lc 64.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81BAFA text on white | 2.03:1 | Fails | Lc 39.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81BAFA text on black | 10.33:1 | AAA | Lc -63.0 | 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
#EFF6FF
oklch(97% 0.014 254.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DBECFF
oklch(93.6% 0.032 251.1)
-
Step 200
200
#BEDCFF
oklch(88.4% 0.058 252.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#81BAFA
oklch(77.5% 0.11 252.1)
-
Step 400
400
#4EA4FF
oklch(70.7% 0.157 252.1)
-
Step 500
500
#008AF7
oklch(63.1% 0.19 252.2)
-
Step 600
600
#0074D1
oklch(55.7% 0.167 252.1)
-
Step 700
700
#0061B0
oklch(49% 0.147 252)
-
Step 800
800
#004F92
oklch(42.6% 0.129 252.3)
-
Step 900
900
#00427B
oklch(37.7% 0.113 252.1)
-
Step 950
950
#00274C
oklch(27.1% 0.08 251.6)
#81BAFA 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) | #A1BDFD | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92B1F9 | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #49C9D0 | 0.096 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B6B6B6 | 0.110 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81BAFA
#81BAFA
oklch(77.5% 0.11 252.1)
- #E1AA63
#E1AA63
oklch(77.5% 0.11 72)
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 #81BAFA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.013
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.040
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.042
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.043
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.056
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.061
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.061
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.063
Use #81BAFA 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.