#85B6EC
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.2% 0.094 251.5), rgb(133, 182, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.89:1).
About this color
#85B6EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.094 and its hue 251°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.89:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.094) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.89:1 |
| White text | 2.12:1 |
Values
| HEX | #85B6EC |
| RGB | rgb(133, 182, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 73%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.2% 0.094 251.5) |
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 #85B6EC | 2.12:1 | Fails | Lc -46.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #85B6EC | 9.89:1 | AAA | Lc 62.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #85B6EC text on white | 2.12:1 | Fails | Lc 41.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #85B6EC text on black | 9.89:1 | AAA | Lc -60.7 | 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)
#85B6EC
oklch(76.2% 0.094 251.5)
-
Step 400
400
#51A4FA
oklch(70.6% 0.15 251.5)
-
Step 500
500
#008BF4
oklch(63.1% 0.185 251.3)
-
Step 600
600
#0074CF
oklch(55.5% 0.165 251.7)
-
Step 700
700
#0062AF
oklch(49.2% 0.144 251.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005091
oklch(42.8% 0.126 251.5)
-
Step 900
900
#00427A
oklch(37.7% 0.112 251.7)
-
Step 950
950
#00274B
oklch(27% 0.079 251.1)
#85B6EC 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) | #A1B8EE | 0.035 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #94ADEB | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5DC2C8 | 0.081 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B2B2B2 | 0.094 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #85B6EC
#85B6EC
oklch(76.2% 0.094 251.5)
- #D7A86D
#D7A86D
oklch(76.2% 0.094 72)
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 #85B6EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.027
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.046
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.050
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.051
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.052
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.053
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.063
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.063
Use #85B6EC 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.