Nearest named color: Carolina Blue
#40A7CA
#40A7CA
Nearest named
Carolina Blue
Family
Blue
Lightness
68.3%
Chroma
0.106
Hue angle
224.3°
Temperature
Cool
Contrast on white
2.76:1 · Fail
Contrast on black
6.72:1 · AA
Web-safe
#3399CC
CSS oklch()
68% 0.11 224

#40A7CA is a mid-toned, cool blue. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered. It carries a legible label as a UI accent and sits well as a supporting tone.

Palettes built on #40A7CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #40A7CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #40A7CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Carolina Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Carolina Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Carolina Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Carolina Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Carolina Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Carolina Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Carolina Blue anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #40A7CA actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 19/100
Cool
Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.
Softness 56/100
Moderate
Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.
Depth 32/100
Low
Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.
Naturalness 1/100
Very low
Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.
Vintage feel 44/100
Moderate
A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.
Luxury 40/100
Low
Understated — leans refined without going austere.
Brand distinctiveness 41/100
Moderate
Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.
UI accent fit 63/100
High
Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.
Surface fit 38/100
Low
Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.
Print safety 72/100
High
Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #40A7CA

For UI
For branding
For interior
For fashion

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA
Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid
Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid
Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.7:1. Use
Subtle surface Use #DCECF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80
Avoid beside #3F79CA — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #40A7CA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI
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Dashboard
Revenue
$48.2k ▲ 12%
Brand
AVELINE
Studio
Poster
Nov 14 · 8PM
NIGHT
MARKET
Packaging
BLOOM
Botanical Wash
250 ml
Interior

Scales

ShadesBase darkened in 10% steps
TintsBase lifted toward white
TonesSaturation removed, lightness held
Monochromatic scaleDesign-system ready, 50–900

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #40A7CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 64 167 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(68.3% 0.106 224.3);
  --color-50: #F3FAFC;
  --color-100: #DEF1F7;
  --color-200: #BFE2ED;
  --color-300: #93CADC;
  --color-400: #6AB1C8;
  --color-500: #4893AD;
  --color-600: #3D7384;
  --color-700: #30535E;
  --color-800: #23373E;
  --color-900: #172226;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}