#85B5EB
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76% 0.093 252), rgb(133, 181, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.80:1).
About this color
#85B5EB is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.093 and its hue 252°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.028 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.80:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.093) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.80:1 |
| White text | 2.14:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85B5EB |
| RGB | rgb(133, 181, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 72%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76% 0.093 252) |
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 #85B5EB | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc -46.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85B5EB | 9.80:1 | AAA | Lc 62.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #85B5EB text on white | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc 42.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85B5EB text on black | 9.80:1 | AAA | Lc -60.3 | 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
#F0F6FE
oklch(97.1% 0.012 255.5)
-
Step 100
100
#DDECFC
oklch(93.7% 0.027 249.9)
-
Step 200
200
#C1DCFB
oklch(88.5% 0.052 252)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#85B5EB
oklch(76% 0.093 252)
-
Step 400
400
#53A4FA
oklch(70.6% 0.149 251.9)
-
Step 500
500
#008AF6
oklch(63% 0.189 252)
-
Step 600
600
#0074D0
oklch(55.6% 0.166 251.9)
-
Step 700
700
#0061B0
oklch(49% 0.147 252)
-
Step 800
800
#004F92
oklch(42.6% 0.129 252.3)
-
Step 900
900
#00427B
oklch(37.7% 0.113 252.1)
-
Step 950
950
#01274B
oklch(27% 0.078 251.6)
#85B5EB 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) | #A0B7ED | 0.033 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #94ADEA | 0.026 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5DC1C7 | 0.081 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.093 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85B5EB
#85B5EB
oklch(76% 0.093 252)
- #D6A76D
#D6A76D
oklch(75.9% 0.093 71.5)
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 #85B5EB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.028
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.049
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.051
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.052
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.053
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.055
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.065
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.066
Use #85B5EB 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.