#85AEE6
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.2% 0.093 256.3), rgb(133, 174, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.19:1).
About this color
#85AEE6 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.093 and its hue 256°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.040 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.19:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.093) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.19:1 |
| White text | 2.28:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85AEE6 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 174, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(215, 66%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.2% 0.093 256.3) |
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 #85AEE6 | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc -49.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85AEE6 | 9.19:1 | AAA | Lc 59.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #85AEE6 text on white | 2.28:1 | Fails | Lc 45.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85AEE6 text on black | 9.19:1 | AAA | Lc -57.1 | 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
#F2F6FB
oklch(97.2% 0.008 253.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF5
oklch(93.7% 0.016 253.9)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDAEF
oklch(88.4% 0.033 258.4)
-
Step 300
300
#A9C3E6
oklch(81% 0.057 255.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#85AEE6
oklch(74.2% 0.093 256.3)
-
Step 500
500
#588BD0
oklch(63.1% 0.118 256.3)
-
Step 600
600
#3C74BD
oklch(55.7% 0.128 256)
-
Step 700
700
#2E61A3
oklch(49.2% 0.119 256)
-
Step 800
800
#274F84
oklch(42.6% 0.099 256.3)
-
Step 900
900
#25426A
oklch(37.7% 0.077 256.8)
-
Step 950
950
#16273E
oklch(27% 0.049 256.3)
#85AEE6 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) | #99B1E9 | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8EA7E5 | 0.020 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #61BAC1 | 0.082 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.093 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85AEE6
#85AEE6
oklch(74.2% 0.093 256.3)
- #CDA466
#CDA466
oklch(74.3% 0.093 76.9)
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 #85AEE6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.040
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.061
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.065
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.066
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.067
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.070
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.073
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.074
Use #85AEE6 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.