What color is #81CAEB?

#81CAEB is a light, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(129, 202, 235), and in HSL hsl(199, 73%, 71%).

Is #81CAEB accessible as text?

On white, #81CAEB has a contrast ratio of 1.81:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.58:1 (passes). For text placed on #81CAEB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #81CAEB?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-300 (#74D4FF).

What colors go well with #81CAEB?

#81CAEB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EBA17F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #81CAEB below.

Is #81CAEB good for buttons?

#81CAEB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #81CAEB — white text only reaches 1.81:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #81CAEB the same as CSS skyblue?

No — #81CAEB is not the CSS named color skyblue, but skyblue (#87CEEB) is the closest CSS named color.

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

Palettes built on #81CAEB

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #81CAEB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Sky Blue 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 #81CAEB Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Sky Blue 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 #81CAEB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Sky Blue 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 #81CAEB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #AFF1FF

Sky 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 Sky Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #81CAEB Secondary #D8F1FD Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Sky 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 Sky Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #81CAEB 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 68/100

High

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

Depth 19/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 26/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 33/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 24/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 55/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #81CAEB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #81CAEB with

Seafoam Cornflower Blue Dark Salmon Platinum 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 10.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8F3F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #7FA5EB — 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 #81CAEB at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #81CAEB;
  --color-base-rgb: 129 202 235;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(80.3% 0.086 228.5);
  --color-50: #F1FAFD;
  --color-100: #DBF0FA;
  --color-200: #B9E1F4;
  --color-300: #88C9E7;
  --color-400: #5DAFD5;
  --color-500: #3A92BB;
  --color-600: #33728E;
  --color-700: #2A5265;
  --color-800: #1F3742;
  --color-900: #152228;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  sky-blue: {
    50: '#F1FAFD',
    100: '#DBF0FA',
    200: '#B9E1F4',
    300: '#88C9E7',
    400: '#5DAFD5',
    500: '#3A92BB',
    600: '#33728E',
    700: '#2A5265',
    800: '#1F3742',
    900: '#152228',
  },
}

$base: #81CAEB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FAFD;
$base-100: #DBF0FA;
$base-200: #B9E1F4;
$base-300: #88C9E7;
$base-400: #5DAFD5;
$base-500: #3A92BB;
$base-600: #33728E;
$base-700: #2A5265;
$base-800: #1F3742;
$base-900: #152228;
$base-hover: #40AEE1;
$base-subtle: #DDEDF5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#81CAEB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF0FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9E1F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#88C9E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5DAFD5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3A92BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#33728E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A5265",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3742",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152228",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}