#85AEE9
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.4% 0.097 257.4), rgb(133, 174, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.22:1).
About this color
#85AEE9 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 257°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.037 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.22:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.22:1 |
| White text | 2.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85AEE9 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 174, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(215, 69%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.4% 0.097 257.4) |
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 #85AEE9 | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc -49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85AEE9 | 9.22:1 | AAA | Lc 59.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #85AEE9 text on white | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc 44.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85AEE9 text on black | 9.22:1 | AAA | Lc -57.3 | 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
#E3EBF6
oklch(93.7% 0.017 256.3)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDAF0
oklch(88.5% 0.034 259.4)
-
Step 300
300
#A8C3E8
oklch(81% 0.06 256.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#85AEE9
oklch(74.4% 0.097 257.4)
-
Step 500
500
#578AD3
oklch(63% 0.124 257.4)
-
Step 600
600
#3C73C0
oklch(55.6% 0.134 257.2)
-
Step 700
700
#2E60A6
oklch(49.1% 0.125 257.3)
-
Step 800
800
#274F87
oklch(42.8% 0.104 257.3)
-
Step 900
900
#24426C
oklch(37.8% 0.081 257.1)
-
Step 950
950
#16273F
oklch(27.1% 0.05 257.1)
#85AEE9 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) | #98B1EC | 0.026 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8DA7E8 | 0.020 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #60BBC2 | 0.086 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.097 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85AEE9
#85AEE9
oklch(74.4% 0.097 257.4)
- #CEA463
#CEA463
oklch(74.3% 0.097 77.3)
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 #85AEE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.064
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.064
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.067
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.067
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.068
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.073
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.077
Use #85AEE9 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.