What color is #72B3CA?

#72B3CA is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(114, 179, 202), and in HSL hsl(196, 45%, 62%).

Is #72B3CA accessible as text?

On white, #72B3CA has a contrast ratio of 2.33:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.02:1 (passes). For text placed on #72B3CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #72B3CA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-500 (#00B8DB).

What colors go well with #72B3CA?

#72B3CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CA8A72. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #72B3CA below.

Is #72B3CA good for buttons?

#72B3CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #72B3CA — white text only reaches 2.33:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #72B3CA the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #72B3CA is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#72B3CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #72B3CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #72B3CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #72B3CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #72B3CA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #72B3CA Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #72B3CA Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Iceberg sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #72B3CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #9ED9EE

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #72B3CA Secondary #C3D9E1 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Iceberg 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 Iceberg carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #72B3CA 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 28/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 64/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 29/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 52/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 80/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #72B3CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #72B3CA with

Celadon Glaucous Rosy Brown Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

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 8.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E5EFF2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #7295CA — 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 #72B3CA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #72B3CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 114 179 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.1% 0.074 222.5);
  --color-50: #F4F9FB;
  --color-100: #E1EFF4;
  --color-200: #C4DFE8;
  --color-300: #9BC5D5;
  --color-400: #74AABE;
  --color-500: #538DA2;
  --color-600: #456E7D;
  --color-700: #35505A;
  --color-800: #26353B;
  --color-900: #192125;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  iceberg: {
    50: '#F4F9FB',
    100: '#E1EFF4',
    200: '#C4DFE8',
    300: '#9BC5D5',
    400: '#74AABE',
    500: '#538DA2',
    600: '#456E7D',
    700: '#35505A',
    800: '#26353B',
    900: '#192125',
  },
}

$base: #72B3CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FB;
$base-100: #E1EFF4;
$base-200: #C4DFE8;
$base-300: #9BC5D5;
$base-400: #74AABE;
$base-500: #538DA2;
$base-600: #456E7D;
$base-700: #35505A;
$base-800: #26353B;
$base-900: #192125;
$base-hover: #4699B7;
$base-subtle: #D8E7EC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#72B3CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EFF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4DFE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9BC5D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#74AABE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#538DA2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#456E7D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#35505A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26353B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192125",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #72B3CA

Color Lab

Pairs with #72B3CA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export