Blue family
Sky Blue color
A light, muted blue. The reference sky blue is #87CEEB, as defined by the CSS named color.
| HEX | #87CEEB | |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(135, 206, 235) | |
| HSL | hsl(197, 71%, 73%) | |
| HSV | hsv(197, 43%, 92%) | |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.5% 0.082 225.8) | |
| CMYK* | 43, 12, 0, 8 |
* CMYK is a simple conversion without a print profile; ask your printer for exact values.
What color is sky blue?
Sky blue is the light blue of a clear daytime sky. The CSS keyword skyblue, #87CEEB, is soft and slightly green; CSS also has lightskyblue and deepskyblue. The xkcd survey sky blue is a little brighter and more saturated.
Sky Blue hex codes by source
Color names are not standardized, so the same name can point to different colors. Here is every definition of sky blue in our three sources, with how close each one is to the reference.
| Name | HEX | Source | Compared with the reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Blue | #87CEEB | CSS named color | Reference shown on this page |
| Sky Blue | #75BBFD | xkcd Color Survey | Noticeably different · 73% similar |
| Sky Blue | #9FB9E2 | Color Names (meodai) | Close · 77% similar |
| Sky | #82CAFC | xkcd Color Survey | Close · 88% similar |
| Sky | #76D6FF | Color Names (meodai) | Close · 88% similar |
Sky Blue vs Baby Blue
#87CEEB
#A2CFFE
Baby blue is slightly paler and less green; sky blue is a touch deeper. In numbers: the two are 83% similar (OKLab distance 0.042). See Baby Blue for its own codes.
Colors similar to sky blue
The closest named colors to #87CEEB across all three sources, with their similarity in OKLab.
Tints and shades of sky blue
The same hue from light to dark, generated in OKLab so the steps look even. Click a step to copy its HEX code.
Colors that go with sky blue
Classic color-wheel combinations built on #87CEEB, computed in OKLCH so the partners keep the same lightness and intensity. Each swatch shows the nearest common name.
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split complementary
Sky Blue with white and black text
WCAG asks for a contrast of at least 4.5:1 for body text (AA) and 3:1 for large text. On a sky blue background, black text is the better choice.
Use sky blue in CSS
.sky-blue {
color: #87CEEB;
/* or */ color: rgb(135 206 235);
/* or */ color: hsl(197 71% 73%);
/* or */ color: oklch(81.5% 0.082 225.8);
/* CSS keyword */ color: skyblue;
}