#81C5DC
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(78.6% 0.076 221.3), rgb(129, 197, 220).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.95:1).
About this color
#81C5DC is a light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.076 and its hue 221°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.95:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.076) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 10.95:1 |
| White text | 1.91:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81C5DC |
| RGB | rgb(129, 197, 220) |
| HSL | hsl(195, 57%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.6% 0.076 221.3) |
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 #81C5DC | 1.91:1 | Fails | Lc -40.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #81C5DC | 10.95:1 | AAA | Lc 67.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81C5DC text on white | 1.91:1 | Fails | Lc 36.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81C5DC text on black | 10.95:1 | AAA | Lc -65.9 | 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
#EEF7FA
oklch(97% 0.01 219.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DBEEF4
oklch(93.7% 0.022 218.6)
-
Step 200
200
#BCE0ED
oklch(88.5% 0.042 221.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#81C5DC
oklch(78.6% 0.076 221.3)
-
Step 400
400
#28B1D6
oklch(70.7% 0.122 221.4)
-
Step 500
500
#0098BB
oklch(63% 0.116 221.8)
-
Step 600
600
#00809D
oklch(55.6% 0.102 221.1)
-
Step 700
700
#006C85
oklch(49.2% 0.09 221.2)
-
Step 800
800
#00586D
oklch(42.6% 0.078 221.3)
-
Step 900
900
#00495B
oklch(37.6% 0.069 221.4)
-
Step 950
950
#002C37
oklch(27.1% 0.049 219.4)
#81C5DC 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) | #B7C1DD | 0.063 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9B7DC | 0.056 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5BCDCC | 0.049 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.076 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81C5DC
#81C5DC
oklch(78.6% 0.076 221.3)
- #E4AA94
#E4AA94
oklch(78.7% 0.075 41.7)
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 #81C5DC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.025
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.030
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.035
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.036
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.045
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.045
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.046
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.048
Use #81C5DC 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.