What color is #81B5E9?

#81B5E9 is a light, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(129, 181, 233), and in HSL hsl(210, 70%, 71%).

Is #81B5E9 accessible as text?

On white, #81B5E9 has a contrast ratio of 2.16:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.72:1 (passes). For text placed on #81B5E9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #81B5E9?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-300 (#8EC5FF).

What colors go well with #81B5E9?

#81B5E9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E9B581. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #81B5E9 below.

Is #81B5E9 good for buttons?

#81B5E9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #81B5E9 — white text only reaches 2.16:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #81B5E9 the same as CSS lightskyblue?

No — #81B5E9 is not the CSS named color lightskyblue, but lightskyblue (#87CEFA) is the closest CSS named color.

#81B5E9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #81B5E9

Not just a swatch — here's how #81B5E9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #81B5E9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #81B5E9 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Maya 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

Accent #81B5E9 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Maya 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

Signal #81B5E9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #ACDCFF

Maya 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 Maya Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #81B5E9 Secondary #CDDFF2 Support #959386 Ink #16140F

Maya 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 Maya Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #81B5E9 Anchor #3B2924 Surface #EAE5D0 Accent #799E78 Secondary #393933

Maya 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 #81B5E9 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 24/100

Cool

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

Softness 63/100

High

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

Depth 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 41/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 32/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 36/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 49/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 79/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #81B5E9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #81B5E9 with

Pale Turquoise Medium Purple Burlywood Gainsboro Charcoal

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 8.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9F0F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8193E9 — 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 #81B5E9 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

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #81B5E9;
  --color-base-rgb: 129 181 233;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.6% 0.093 249.1);
  --color-50: #F1F7FD;
  --color-100: #DBEBFA;
  --color-200: #BAD6F3;
  --color-300: #8AB8E5;
  --color-400: #5F99D3;
  --color-500: #3D7AB8;
  --color-600: #35618C;
  --color-700: #2B4764;
  --color-800: #203041;
  --color-900: #151F28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  maya-blue: {
    50: '#F1F7FD',
    100: '#DBEBFA',
    200: '#BAD6F3',
    300: '#8AB8E5',
    400: '#5F99D3',
    500: '#3D7AB8',
    600: '#35618C',
    700: '#2B4764',
    800: '#203041',
    900: '#151F28',
  },
}

$base: #81B5E9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F7FD;
$base-100: #DBEBFA;
$base-200: #BAD6F3;
$base-300: #8AB8E5;
$base-400: #5F99D3;
$base-500: #3D7AB8;
$base-600: #35618C;
$base-700: #2B4764;
$base-800: #203041;
$base-900: #151F28;
$base-hover: #4491DE;
$base-subtle: #DDE9F5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#81B5E9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F7FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBEBFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BAD6F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AB8E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5F99D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3D7AB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#35618C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B4764",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203041",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151F28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}