Water Blue #0E87CC
Water Blue is a medium-dark, vivid blue with hex code #0E87CC and RGB rgb(14, 135, 204).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.35:1).
About this color
#0E87CC is a medium-dark, vivid blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.141 and its hue 243°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Water Blue. Black text reads best on it, at 5.35:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.141) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Water Blue |
| Black text | 5.35:1 |
| White text | 3.92:1 |
Colors that go with Water Blue
Matches found by rotating Water 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 Water Blue
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Water Blue, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Water Blue, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Blue #4984B8 ΔE 0.041
- Windows Blue #3778BF ΔE 0.043
- Steel Blue #4682B4 ΔE 0.043
- Blue NCS #118AB2 ΔE 0.044
- Dark Sky Blue #448EE4 ΔE 0.051
- Nice Blue #107AB0 ΔE 0.052
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.059
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.064
More about Water Blue
How to make Water 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.
- 3 parts blue
- 2 parts white
- 1 part gray
Recipe result: #4586CE, a difference of ΔE 0.029 from Water Blue. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Water Blue in every format
| HEX | #0E87CC |
| RGB | rgb(14, 135, 204) |
| HSL | hsl(202, 87%, 43%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59.9% 0.141 242.8) |
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 #0E87CC | 3.92:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #0E87CC | 5.35:1 | AA | Lc 38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #0E87CC text on white | 3.92:1 | AA large text | Lc 66.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #0E87CC text on black | 5.35:1 | AA | Lc -35.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Water 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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F0F6FB
oklch(97% 0.009 242.8)
-
Step 100
100
#DFECF6
oklch(93.6% 0.019 240.7)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DDF1
oklch(88.5% 0.038 242.2)
-
Step 300
300
#9AC7EA
oklch(81% 0.069 242.1)
-
Step 400
400
#5EA8E0
oklch(70.7% 0.111 243.1)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#0E87CC
oklch(59.9% 0.141 242.8)
-
Step 600
600
#007ABA
oklch(55.6% 0.133 242.5)
-
Step 700
700
#00669E
oklch(49% 0.119 243.2)
-
Step 800
800
#005482
oklch(42.8% 0.102 242.4)
-
Step 900
900
#00466D
oklch(37.8% 0.09 242.2)
-
Step 950
950
#062940
oklch(27% 0.058 242.5)
Water 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) | #6689CF | 0.064 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #4C79CB | 0.048 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #0098A0 | 0.095 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #818181 | 0.141 |
Use Water 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.