Sky Blue Color Code: #87CEEB, RGB, HSL & CMYK

Sky Blue color values

HEX #87CEEB

RGB rgb(135, 206, 235)

HSL hsl(197, 71%, 73%)

HSV 197, 43%, 92%

HWB hwb(197 53% 8%)

CMYK 43%, 12%, 0%, 8%

Decimal 8900331

CSS keyword skyblue

73%HSL lightness (medium-light)

71%HSL saturation (rich)

197°Hue angle (azure)

0.553Relative luminance

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

What is Sky Blue?

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

Its hue angle of 197° places it in the azure part of the color wheel, with 71% saturation (rich) and 73% lightness (medium-light). It is a cool color.

Compared with the other blue colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 83% of them and more saturated than 36% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.553, which makes it a 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.

Sky Blue counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 73% and its relative luminance is 0.553. Black text reads best on it (12.05:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Sky Blue

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Sky Blue
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	1.74:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail
Black text	Sample text	12.05:1 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 Sky 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 Salmon#EBA487

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.

≈ Light Teal#87EBD6 ≈ Cornflower Blue#879CEB

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.

≈ Lavender Pink#EB87CE ≈ Pale Olive Green#CEEB87

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.

≈ Pig Pink#EB879C ≈ Sand#EBD687

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.

≈ Medium Purple#A487EB ≈ Pale Salmon#EBA487 ≈ Pale Olive Green#CEEB87

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.

#1D85AF#1D85AF

#36ADDD#36ADDD

#73C6E8#73C6E8

#B0DFF2#B0DFF2

#EEF8FC#EEF8FC

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 Sky 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.

Light Sky Blue#87CEFA Light Blue#ADD8E6 Sky#82CAFC Light Gray Blue#9DBCD4 Baby Blue#A2CFFE Cloudy Blue#ACC2D9 Light Steel Blue#B0C4DE Powder Blue#B0E0E6

Where to use Sky Blue

Card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (12.05:1 contrast with black)
Accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations
Links, buttons and primary interface accents
Corporate, finance and software branding
Headers and navigation bars
Charts and dashboards

Sky Blue appears in these curated palettes: Clear Sky (Blue Color Palettes), Blue and Orange (Blue Color Palettes).

Use Sky Blue in CSS

:root {
  --color-sky-blue: #87CEEB;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-sky-blue);
  background-color: #87CEEB;
  border: 2px solid #87CEEB;
}

Questions about Sky Blue

What is the HEX code for Sky Blue?

Sky Blue is #87CEEB.

What is the RGB value of Sky Blue?

The RGB value of Sky Blue is 135, 206, 235: 135 red, 206 green and 235 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(135, 206, 235) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Sky Blue?

The HSL value of Sky Blue is 197°, 71%, 73% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(197, 71%, 73%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Sky Blue?

A standard conversion gives about C 43%, M 12%, Y 0%, K 8%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Sky Blue a light or dark color?

Sky Blue counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 73% and its relative luminance is 0.553. Black text reads best on it (12.05:1 contrast).

How does Sky Blue look with white text?

White text on Sky Blue has a contrast ratio of 1.74:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

How does Sky Blue look with black text?

Black text on Sky Blue has a contrast ratio of 12.05:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

What colors go well with Sky Blue?

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

Where can Sky Blue be used?

It suits card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (12.05:1 contrast with black); accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations; links, buttons and primary interface accents.

How do I use Sky Blue in CSS?

Use color: #87CEEB; for text, background-color: #87CEEB; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-sky-blue: #87CEEB; and reuse it with var(--color-sky-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.

Sky Blue Color Code: #87CEEB