#8CB3EC
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76% 0.093 257.8), rgb(140, 179, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.77:1).
About this color
#8CB3EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.093 and its hue 258°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.77:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.093) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.77:1 |
| White text | 2.14:1 |
Values
| HEX | #8CB3EC |
| RGB | rgb(140, 179, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 72%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76% 0.093 257.8) |
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 #8CB3EC | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc -46.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #8CB3EC | 9.77:1 | AAA | Lc 61.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #8CB3EC text on white | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc 42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #8CB3EC text on black | 9.77:1 | AAA | Lc -60.1 | 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
#DFEBFC
oklch(93.6% 0.026 257)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DBFC
oklch(88.5% 0.052 257.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#8CB3EC
oklch(76% 0.093 257.8)
-
Step 400
400
#63A1FC
oklch(70.8% 0.149 257.9)
-
Step 500
500
#3386F9
oklch(63.1% 0.189 257.7)
-
Step 600
600
#006CE7
oklch(55.5% 0.204 257.8)
-
Step 700
700
#005BC4
oklch(49.2% 0.18 257.7)
-
Step 800
800
#004AA2
oklch(42.7% 0.156 257.7)
-
Step 900
900
#0D3F81
oklch(37.7% 0.123 257.6)
-
Step 950
950
#0A254C
oklch(26.9% 0.079 258.2)
#8CB3EC 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) | #9EB6EF | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #93ADEB | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #6ABFC6 | 0.082 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.093 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #8CB3EC
#8CB3EC
oklch(76% 0.093 257.8)
- #D2AA6C
#D2AA6C
oklch(76% 0.092 77.6)
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 #8CB3EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.026
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.048
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.055
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.056
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.059
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.070
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.070
Use #8CB3EC 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.