#85AEEA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.4% 0.098 257.8), rgb(133, 174, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.23:1).
About this color
#85AEEA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.098 and its hue 258°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.23:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.098) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.23:1 |
| White text | 2.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85AEEA |
| RGB | rgb(133, 174, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 71%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.4% 0.098 257.8) |
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 #85AEEA | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc -49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85AEEA | 9.23:1 | AAA | Lc 59.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #85AEEA text on white | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc 44.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85AEEA text on black | 9.23:1 | AAA | Lc -57.4 | 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
#CBDAF0
oklch(88.4% 0.034 257.9)
-
Step 300
300
#A8C2E9
oklch(80.8% 0.062 258.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#85AEEA
oklch(74.4% 0.098 257.8)
-
Step 500
500
#578AD4
oklch(63.1% 0.125 257.7)
-
Step 600
600
#3C73C2
oklch(55.7% 0.136 257.7)
-
Step 700
700
#2E60A7
oklch(49.2% 0.126 257.6)
-
Step 800
800
#274E87
oklch(42.6% 0.105 258)
-
Step 900
900
#24426C
oklch(37.8% 0.081 257.1)
-
Step 950
950
#16273F
oklch(27.1% 0.05 257.1)
#85AEEA 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) | #98B1ED | 0.026 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8CA8E9 | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5FBBC3 | 0.086 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.098 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85AEEA
#85AEEA
oklch(74.4% 0.098 257.8)
- #CEA462
#CEA462
oklch(74.3% 0.098 77.7)
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 #85AEEA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.036
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.063
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.065
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.066
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.067
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.069
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.073
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.078
Use #85AEEA 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.