Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind sky-900: #024A70
In Tailwind CSS v4, sky-900 is defined as --color-sky-900: oklch(39.1% 0.09 240.876), which is #024A70 in hex and rgb(2, 74, 112): a dark, moderately saturated sky blue. In Tailwind v3, sky-900 was #0C4A6E.
In OKLCH, sky-900 has a lightness of 39.1%, chroma 0.090 and hue 240.9°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #024A70 represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, sky-900 was #0C4A6E. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.5 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart; v4 is more saturated.
Tailwind sky is a light, clear blue between cyan and blue. In v2.2 it replaced the older lightBlue name.
Color codes for sky-900
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-sky-900 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(39.1% 0.09 240.876) |
| HEX | #024A70 |
| RGB | rgb(2, 74, 112) |
| HSL | hsl(201, 96%, 22%) |
| HWB | hwb(201 1% 56%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(98%, 34%, 0%, 56%) |
| Decimal | 150,128 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #0C4A6E |
| Utility classes | bg-sky-900, text-sky-900, border-sky-900 |
Tailwind sky scale
Contrast and accessibility
On sky-900, white text has a contrast ratio of 9.47:1 and passes AAA at any text size; black text reaches 2.21:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on sky-900 | 2.21:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 12.5 |
| White text on sky-900 | 9.47:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −95.7 |
| Sky-900 text on white | 9.47:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 91.4 |
| Sky-900 text on black | 2.21:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | −10.9 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-sky-900) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-sky-900), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#0f5377 - 15%
#286585 - 25%
#417794 - 35%
#5b89a2 - 45%
#749bb0 - 55%
#8daebf - 65%
#a6c0cd - 75%
#c0d2db - 85%
#d9e4ea - 95%
#f2f6f8
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#02466a - 15%
#023f5f - 25%
#023854 - 35%
#013049 - 45%
#01293e - 55%
#012132 - 65%
#011a27 - 75%
#01131c - 85%
#000b11 - 95%
#000406
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, sky-900's complementary color is #673801 (close to saddlebrown), its analogous colors are #005160 and #344175, and its triadic partners are #6B2E42 and #3F4C06. For text on top, white gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #673801 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #005160#344175 |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #6b2e42#3f4c06 |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #6d3026#574200 |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind sky-900 is a cool color: its hue is 201° on the HSL wheel, in the green, blue and violet range that is conventionally called cool.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Nearest CSS named colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| darkslategray | #2f4f4f | 7.0 |
| darkslateblue | #483d8b | 9.2 |
| midnightblue | #191970 | 13.2 |
Code snippets
<div class="bg-sky-900 text-white">...</div>
<p class="text-sky-900 border-sky-900">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-sky-900);
background-color: oklch(39.1% 0.09 240.876);
border-color: #024a70;
outline-color: rgb(2 74 112);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let sky900 = Color(red: 0.008, green: 0.290, blue: 0.439)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Sky900 = Color(0xFF024A70)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const sky900 = Color(0xFF024A70);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="sky_900">#024A70</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind sky-900?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, sky-900 is oklch(39.1% 0.09 240.876), which converts to #024A70 (rgb(2, 74, 112)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #0C4A6E.
- What is the difference between sky-900 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #0C4A6E; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(39.1% 0.09 240.876). In v3, sky-900 was #0C4A6E. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.5 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart; v4 is more saturated.
- How do I use sky-900 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-sky-900). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on sky-900?
- White text on sky-900 has a contrast ratio of 9.47:1, which passes both AA and AAA under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 2.21:1 and fails AA even for large text. In APCA terms that is Lc −95.7 for white and Lc 12.5 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to sky-900?
- The closest is darkslategray (#2F4F4F) at ΔE OK 7.0, followed by darkslateblue and midnightblue.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.