Exploring the Color #81A6B5

#81A6B5 sits at 197° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 26% saturation and 61% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 129, 166, 181 produces a 8.06:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #81A6B5 is a distant relative of CSS gray — about 65 units away from #808080. Designers reach for azure hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades