Light Blue Color Code: #ADD8E6, RGB & HSL

Light Blue color values

HEX #ADD8E6

RGB rgb(173, 216, 230)

HSL hsl(195, 53%, 79%)

HSV 195, 25%, 90%

HWB hwb(195 68% 10%)

CMYK 25%, 6%, 0%, 10%

Decimal 11393254

CSS keyword lightblue

79%HSL lightness (light)

53%HSL saturation (rich)

195°Hue angle (cyan)

0.637Relative luminance

CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.

What is Light Blue?

Light Blue is one of the named colors defined by the CSS Color specifications (keyword “lightblue”), so every modern browser understands it without a hex code.

Its hue angle of 195° places it in the cyan part of the color wheel, with 53% saturation (rich) and 79% lightness (light). It is a cool color.

Compared with the other blue colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 91% of them and more saturated than 27% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.637, which makes it a very light color. That is above the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so black text has the advantage.

Light Blue counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 79% and its relative luminance is 0.637. Black text reads best on it (13.74:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Light Blue

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Light Blue
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	1.52:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail
Black text	Sample text	13.74:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.

Colors that go with Light Blue

Complementary color

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.

≈ Pale Rose#E6BBAD

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.

≈ Pale Turquoise#ADE6D7 ≈ Light Periwinkle#ADBCE6

Triadic colors

A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.

≈ Plum#E6ADD8 ≈ Pale Goldenrod#D8E6AD

Split-complementary colors

Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.

≈ Faded Pink#E6ADBC ≈ Wheat#E6D7AD

Tetradic colors

A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.

≈ Light Periwinkle#BBADE6 ≈ Pale Rose#E6BBAD ≈ Pale Goldenrod#D8E6AD

Monochromatic variants

Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.

#30829C#30829C

#4BA9C8#4BA9C8

#82C4D9#82C4D9

#B9DEEA#B9DEEA

#EFF8FA#EFF8FA

A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.

Tints and shades of Light Blue

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.

Powder Blue#B0E0E6 Cloudy Blue#ACC2D9 Light Blue Gray#B7C9E2 Pale Sky Blue#BDF6FE Light Gray Blue#9DBCD4 Sky Blue#87CEEB Light Steel Blue#B0C4DE Pale Turquoise#AFEEEE

Where to use Light Blue

Card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (13.74:1 contrast with black)
Charts and dashboards
Links, buttons and primary interface accents
Corporate, finance and software branding
Headers and navigation bars

Light Blue appears in these curated palettes: Deep Ocean (Blue Color Palettes), Cotton Candy (Pastel Color Palettes), Baby Shower (Pastel Color Palettes).

Use Light Blue in CSS

:root {
  --color-light-blue: #ADD8E6;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-light-blue);
  background-color: #ADD8E6;
  border: 2px solid #ADD8E6;
}

Questions about Light Blue

What is the HEX code for Light Blue?

Light Blue is #ADD8E6.

What is the RGB value of Light Blue?

The RGB value of Light Blue is 173, 216, 230: 173 red, 216 green and 230 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(173, 216, 230) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Light Blue?

The HSL value of Light Blue is 195°, 53%, 79% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(195, 53%, 79%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Light Blue?

A standard conversion gives about C 25%, M 6%, Y 0%, K 10%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Light Blue a light or dark color?

Light Blue counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 79% and its relative luminance is 0.637. Black text reads best on it (13.74:1 contrast).

How does Light Blue look with white text?

White text on Light Blue has a contrast ratio of 1.52:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

How does Light Blue look with black text?

Black text on Light Blue has a contrast ratio of 13.74:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

What colors go well with Light Blue?

Pale Rose is its complementary color, and Pale Turquoise sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.

Where can Light Blue be used?

It suits card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (13.74:1 contrast with black); charts and dashboards; links, buttons and primary interface accents.

How do I use Light Blue in CSS?

Use color: #ADD8E6; for text, background-color: #ADD8E6; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-light-blue: #ADD8E6; and reuse it with var(--color-light-blue).

About this color page

CSS named color (W3C CSS Color Module). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.

Light Blue Color Code: #ADD8E6