Carolina Blue #8AB8FE
Carolina Blue is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue with hex code #8AB8FE and RGB rgb(138, 184, 254).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.36:1).
About this color
#8AB8FE is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.112 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Carolina Blue. Black text reads best on it, at 10.36:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.112) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue |
| Black text | 10.36:1 |
| White text | 2.02:1 |
Colors that go with Carolina Blue
Matches found by rotating Carolina Blue around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Carolina Blue
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Carolina Blue, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Carolina Blue, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.036
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.049
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.049
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.061
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.067
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.068
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.071
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.073
More about Carolina Blue
How to make Carolina Blue
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.
- 4 parts white
- 2 parts blue
- 1 part purple
Recipe result: #95B8EC, a difference of ΔE 0.028 from Carolina Blue. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Carolina Blue in every format
| HEX | #8AB8FE |
| RGB | rgb(138, 184, 254) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 98%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.7% 0.112 258.6) |
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 #8AB8FE | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc -43.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #8AB8FE | 10.36:1 | AAA | Lc 64.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #8AB8FE text on white | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc 39.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #8AB8FE text on black | 10.36:1 | AAA | Lc -63.1 | Content text, not long reading |
Shades and tints of Carolina Blue
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
#F0F6FF
oklch(97.1% 0.014 258.3)
-
Step 100
100
#DEEBFF
oklch(93.6% 0.031 258.9)
-
Step 200
200
#C3DBFF
oklch(88.5% 0.056 258.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#8AB8FE
oklch(77.7% 0.112 258.6)
-
Step 400
400
#62A0FF
oklch(70.7% 0.154 258.7)
-
Step 500
500
#3184FF
oklch(63% 0.2 258.7)
-
Step 600
600
#006BEB
oklch(55.7% 0.21 258.5)
-
Step 700
700
#0059C7
oklch(49% 0.186 258.6)
-
Step 800
800
#0049A5
oklch(42.7% 0.162 258.5)
-
Step 900
900
#003C8B
oklch(37.6% 0.143 258.6)
-
Step 950
950
#032453
oklch(27% 0.094 258.1)
Carolina Blue 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) | #9EBCFF | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #90B1FC | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5BC7D0 | 0.100 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B6B6B6 | 0.112 |
Use Carolina Blue 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.