Skip to main content

bg-blue-500

Tailwind Blue 500

#3B82F6·Blue family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#3B82F6
RGB
rgb(59, 130, 246)
HSL
hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.623 0.188 260)
CMYK
cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-blue-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-blue-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

Based on WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios against white and black backgrounds.

On White

3.68:1

AA Large

On Black

5.71:1

AA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-blue-500

Text

text-blue-500

Border

border-blue-500

Ring

ring-blue-500

Outline

outline-blue-500

Fill

fill-blue-500

Stroke

stroke-blue-500

From (gradient)

from-blue-500

Via (gradient)

via-blue-500

To (gradient)

to-blue-500

Placeholder

placeholder-blue-500

Caret

caret-blue-500

Accent

accent-blue-500

Decoration

decoration-blue-500

Shadow Color

shadow-blue-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'blue-500': '#3b82f6', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #3B82F6;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(59, 130, 246);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(217, 91%, 60%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.623 0.188 260);

/* CSS Custom Property (Tailwind v4) */
background-color: var(--color-blue-500);

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #eff6ff 0%, #2563eb 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.623

62% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.188

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

260°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.623 0.188 260)

OKLCH is a perceptually uniform color space in CSS Color Level 4. Unlike HSL, equal steps in L produce equal perceived lightness changes — making it ideal for building accessible, harmonious design system scales.

Design Recommendations

Primary brand color

Shade 500 of the Blue palette

Recommended Uses

  • ✓CTA buttons
  • ✓Active navigation links
  • ✓Primary brand accents
  • ✓Interactive element fills
  • ✓Highlighted badges

Avoid

✗Text on dark/black backgrounds — check contrast before use.

Preview

On White

Aa Bb Cc

On Black

Aa Bb Cc

As Background

Aa Bb Cc — #3B82F6

Blue Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Indigo 500

#6366F1

Tailwind Sky 600

#0284C7

Tailwind Sky 500

#0EA5E9

Tailwind Cyan 600

#0891B2

Tailwind Indigo 400

#818CF8

Tailwind Cyan 700

#0E7490

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Blue 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #3B82F6

Design & Accessibility Guides

Guide

Building an Accessible Color System

Design Systems · 10 min read

Guide

WCAG Contrast Ratios Explained

WCAG · 8 min read

Guide

WCAG AA vs AAA: Which Standard Should You Target?

WCAG · 7 min read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Tailwind Blue 500?
Tailwind Blue 500 has the hex code #3B82F6. Its RGB value is rgb(59, 130, 246) and its HSL value is hsl(217, 91%, 60%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Blue 500?
Use bg-blue-500 for backgrounds, text-blue-500 for text color, border-blue-500 for borders, and ring-blue-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-blue-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Blue 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Blue 500 achieves a 3.68:1 contrast ratio on white (AA Large) and 5.71:1 on black (AA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Blue 500?
Tailwind Blue 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.623 0.188 260) — lightness 0.623, chroma 0.188, hue 260°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Blue 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Blue 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
← All Tailwind Colors