#81BCDA
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(76.6% 0.075 231.1), rgb(129, 188, 218).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.13:1).
About this color
#81BCDA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.075 and its hue 231°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.13:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.075) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 10.13:1 |
| White text | 2.07:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81BCDA |
| RGB | rgb(129, 188, 218) |
| HSL | hsl(200, 55%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.6% 0.075 231.1) |
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 #81BCDA | 2.07:1 | Fails | Lc -44.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #81BCDA | 10.13:1 | AAA | Lc 63.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81BCDA text on white | 2.07:1 | Fails | Lc 40.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81BCDA text on black | 10.13:1 | AAA | Lc -61.9 | 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
#EFF7FB
oklch(97.1% 0.01 228.9)
-
Step 100
100
#DCEDF6
oklch(93.6% 0.022 230.5)
-
Step 200
200
#BFDFF0
oklch(88.6% 0.041 231)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#81BCDA
oklch(76.6% 0.075 231.1)
-
Step 400
400
#41ADDD
oklch(70.6% 0.119 231.3)
-
Step 500
500
#0096C8
oklch(63.1% 0.127 231)
-
Step 600
600
#007EA9
oklch(55.6% 0.112 231.2)
-
Step 700
700
#006A8E
oklch(49.1% 0.099 230.6)
-
Step 800
800
#005775
oklch(42.8% 0.086 230.3)
-
Step 900
900
#004862
oklch(37.7% 0.076 230.8)
-
Step 950
950
#002B3C
oklch(27.1% 0.054 230.4)
#81BCDA 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) | #ADBADC | 0.052 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0B0DA | 0.046 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5EC4C6 | 0.053 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.075 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81BCDA
#81BCDA
oklch(76.6% 0.075 231.1)
- #DAA688
#DAA688
oklch(76.6% 0.074 51.2)
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 #81BCDA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.031
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.032
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.044
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.050
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.052
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.054
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.055
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.059
Use #81BCDA 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.