Sky Blue color guide

#87CEEB
HEX
#87CEEB
RGB
rgb(135, 206, 235)
HSL
hsl(197, 71%, 73%)
CMYK
cmyk(43%, 12%, 0%, 8%)

Light enough to work as a background tint rather than a mark. It has almost no contrast against white, so it belongs behind dark text or as a large calm field.

Best for
Section backgrounds and illustration fills.

Accessibility

Sky Blue text on whiteFail
Sample1.74:1
White text on sky blueFail
Sample1.74:1
Sky Blue text on blackAAA
Sample12.06:1
Black text on sky blueAAA
Sample12.06:1

Ratios follow WCAG 2.1. AA needs 4.5:1 for body text, AAA needs 7:1; large text passes AA at 3:1.

Colors that go with sky blue

Combinations that hold up in a real layout rather than only on the colour wheel.

Sky Blue color harmonies

Complementary
The opposite hue — highest contrast, best used sparingly.
#87CEEB #EBA589
Analogous
Neighbouring hues that sit together calmly.
#89EBD6 #87CEEB #899EEB
Triadic
Three evenly spaced hues — vivid but balanced.
#87CEEB #EB89CF #CFEB89
Split complementary
Softer than complementary, with the same tension.
#87CEEB #EB899E #EBD689

Sky Blue shades and tints

The same hue and saturation across ten lightness steps — the basis of a usable colour ramp in a design system.

#E9F6FB#BEE5F4#92D3ED#66C1E5#3BB0DE#2196C4#1A7599#12536D#0B3241#061B23

Sky Blue FAQ

What is the hex code for sky blue?

Sky Blue is #87CEEB. In other formats that is rgb(135, 206, 235), hsl(197, 71%, 73%), and approximately cmyk(43%, 12%, 0%, 8%) for print.

What colors go with sky blue?

Navy Blue, White, Coral all pair well with sky blue. Section backgrounds and illustration fills.

Is sky blue accessible for text?

Not on white: sky blue reaches only 1.74:1 there, below the 4.5:1 WCAG AA threshold. Use it as a background with black text on top, or reserve it for large display type.

Should text on sky blue be black or white?

Use black text. It gives the higher contrast ratio of the two against #87CEEB.

More blue colors