Blue 500
blue-500 · #3B82F6
HEX
#3B82F6
RGB
rgb(59, 130, 246)
CMYK
cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%)
HSL
hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
LAB
lab(55.6, 17.5, -64.4)
What is Blue 500?
Blue 500 is the blue-500 reference in the Tailwind CSS palette. Its sRGB value is #3B82F6 (rgb 59, 130, 246). It sits in the blue family. The default color palette shipped with Tailwind CSS v3 by Tailwind Labs. 22 color families across 11 lightness steps (50 to 950). See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Blue 500 as a background.
Black text on this color
White text on this color
Shades, tints & tonal scale of Blue 500
An 11-step tonal scale derived from Blue 500 (#3B82F6). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.
50
#EFF5FE
#EFF5FE
100
#E0EBFE
#E0EBFE
200
#C0D7FC
#C0D7FC
300
#9DC1FB
#9DC1FB
400
#6CA1F8
#6CA1F8
500
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
600
#326FD1
#326FD1
700
#2655A0
#2655A0
800
#1B3B6F
#1B3B6F
900
#0F213E
#0F213E
950
#07101E
#07101E
Lighter tints (mixed with white)
15%
#789EF7
30%
#9CB4F9
45%
#B7C7FA
60%
#CED8FB
75%
#E2E8FD
Darker shades (mixed with black)
15%
#3679E5
30%
#316ED2
45%
#2B62BD
60%
#2454A3
75%
#1B4384
Color harmonies for Blue 500
Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Blue 500. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.
Complementary
180° opposite — strongest contrast
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#F6AF3C
#F6AF3C
Triadic
Three colors 120° apart
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#F63C83
#F63C83
#83F63C
#83F63C
Analogous
Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel
#3CE0F6
#3CE0F6
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#523CF6
#523CF6
Split-complementary
Base + two colors flanking its complement
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#F6523C
#F6523C
#E0F63C
#E0F63C
Tetradic
Two complementary pairs
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#AF3CF6
#AF3CF6
#F6AF3C
#F6AF3C
#83F63C
#83F63C
Square
Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart
#3B82F6
#3B82F6
#F63CE0
#F63CE0
#F6AF3C
#F6AF3C
#3CF652
#3CF652
Blue 500 in every color space
Full conversion of Blue 500 across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.
HEX
#3B82F6
RGB
rgb(59, 130, 246)
CMYK
cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%)
HSL
hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
HSV
hsv(217, 76%, 96%)
HWB
hwb(217 23% 4%)
CIE Lab
lab(55.6 17.5 -64.4)
OKLCH
oklch(62.3% 0.188 259.8)
XYZ (D65)
xyz(26.41, 23.55, 90.32)
Copy-ready code for Blue 500
Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.
CSS
color: #3B82F6;
background-color: #3B82F6;CSS variable
:root {
--color-blue-500: #3B82F6;
}Tailwind config
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
'blue-500': '#3B82F6',
}Sass
$color-blue-500: #3B82F6;Swift UIColor
UIColor(red: 0.231, green: 0.510, blue: 0.965, alpha: 1.0)Android XML
<color name="blue-500">#3B82F6</color>Closest match in every color system
The nearest Blue 500 equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.
Closest in Tailwind CSS palette
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.
Closest Pantone matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.
Closest RAL Classic matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.
RAL 5012
#3B83BD
Light blue
RAL 5015
#2271B3
Sky blue
RAL 5023
#49678D
Distant blue
RAL 5014
#606E8C
Pigeon blue
RAL 7000
#7E8B92
Squirrel grey
RAL 5007
#3E5F8A
Brilliant blue
FAQ about Blue 500
What is the HEX code for Blue 500?
Blue 500 (blue-500) has the HEX code #3B82F6. In RGB it is rgb(59, 130, 246), and in CMYK it is cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%).
What is the OKLCH value of Blue 500?
Blue 500 converts to oklch(0.623 0.188 259.8). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.
Is Blue 500 accessible for body text?
Used as a background, Blue 500 has a contrast ratio of 5.71:1 with black text and 3.68:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use black text and verify in real UI context.
What is the closest Pantone to Blue 500?
The closest Pantone reference to Blue 500 by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone 285 C (#0072CE). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.
What is the closest RAL color to Blue 500?
The closest RAL Classic reference to Blue 500 by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 5012 (Light blue, #3B83BD). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.
What is the complementary color of Blue 500?
The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Blue 500 is #F6AF3C. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.
Data provenance & source
Tailwind CSS default palette (v3)
The default color palette shipped with Tailwind CSS v3 by Tailwind Labs Inc. Use as a reference for design tokens, web color systems, and Tailwind-based design conversations. Names like 'blue-500' are the project's own naming convention.
- Source type
- derived
- Confidence
- high
- License
- MIT
- Last reviewed
- 2026-05-24
Workflow tags
Tailwind palette values are designed for digital interfaces under sRGB. For print, convert to a process-appropriate value and proof against the substrate; do not rely on sRGB CMYK conversion for color-critical print work.