#85B4EB
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.7% 0.094 252.9), rgb(133, 180, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.72:1).
About this color
#85B4EB is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.094 and its hue 253°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.72:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.094) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.72:1 |
| White text | 2.15:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85B4EB |
| RGB | rgb(133, 180, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 72%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.7% 0.094 252.9) |
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 #85B4EB | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc -47.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85B4EB | 9.72:1 | AAA | Lc 61.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #85B4EB text on white | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc 42.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85B4EB text on black | 9.72:1 | AAA | Lc -59.9 | 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
#E2EBF5
oklch(93.6% 0.017 250.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CADBEF
oklch(88.5% 0.033 252.5)
-
Step 300
300
#A6C4E6
oklch(81% 0.058 251.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#85B4EB
oklch(75.7% 0.094 252.9)
-
Step 500
500
#518CD0
oklch(63% 0.12 253.2)
-
Step 600
600
#3375BD
oklch(55.5% 0.131 252.9)
-
Step 700
700
#2562A3
oklch(49.1% 0.121 252.8)
-
Step 800
800
#215084
oklch(42.6% 0.101 253.2)
-
Step 900
900
#20436A
oklch(37.7% 0.079 252.8)
-
Step 950
950
#14273E
oklch(26.9% 0.05 254.1)
#85B4EB 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) | #9FB6EE | 0.033 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92ACEA | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5EC0C7 | 0.081 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B0B0B0 | 0.094 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85B4EB
#85B4EB
oklch(75.7% 0.094 252.9)
- #D5A76B
#D5A76B
oklch(75.7% 0.094 73)
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 #85B4EB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.029
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.052
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.053
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.056
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.058
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.067
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.069
Use #85B4EB 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.