Blue NCS #118AB2
Blue NCS is a medium-dark, moderately saturated teal or cyan with hex code #118AB2 and RGB rgb(17, 138, 178).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.30:1).
About this color
#118AB2 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 59%, its chroma 0.112 and its hue 228°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Blue NCS. Black text reads best on it, at 5.30:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (59%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.112) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Blue NCS |
| Black text | 5.30:1 |
| White text | 3.96:1 |
Colors that go with Blue NCS
Matches found by rotating Blue NCS around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Blue NCS
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Blue NCS, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Blue NCS, with their ΔE distance.
- Teal Blue #01889F ΔE 0.030
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.035
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.037
- Water Blue #0E87CC ΔE 0.044
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.044
- Nice Blue #107AB0 ΔE 0.047
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.047
- Cerulean #457B9D ΔE 0.050
More about Blue NCS
How to make Blue NCS
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 3 parts blue
- 2 parts white
- 1 part green
Recipe result: #3E89B3, a difference of ΔE 0.022 from Blue NCS. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Blue NCS in every format
| HEX | #118AB2 |
| RGB | rgb(17, 138, 178) |
| HSL | hsl(195, 83%, 38%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59.2% 0.112 228) |
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 #118AB2 | 3.96:1 | AA large text | Lc -72.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #118AB2 | 5.30:1 | AA | Lc 37.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #118AB2 text on white | 3.96:1 | AA large text | Lc 66.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #118AB2 text on black | 5.30:1 | AA | Lc -35.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Blue NCS
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 600.
-
Step 50
50
#F1F6F9
oklch(97% 0.007 233.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E0ECF2
oklch(93.6% 0.015 229)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DDE8
oklch(88.5% 0.028 229.2)
-
Step 300
300
#9FC8DB
oklch(81% 0.051 227.9)
-
Step 400
400
#68ABC8
oklch(70.7% 0.08 227.6)
-
Step 500
500
#3695BA
oklch(63% 0.103 227.9)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#118AB2
oklch(59.2% 0.112 228)
-
Step 700
700
#006A8B
oklch(49% 0.096 228.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005773
oklch(42.7% 0.084 228.5)
-
Step 900
900
#0D485D
oklch(37.6% 0.067 227.5)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2A37
oklch(26.9% 0.043 229.3)
Blue NCS 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) | #7588B4 | 0.080 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #617AB1 | 0.068 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #009597 | 0.061 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #808080 | 0.112 |
Use Blue NCS 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.