#55AAEECerulean (#55AAEE) is a light, soft blue with an OKLCH hue of 245°, lightness 0.71 and chroma 0.129. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #55AAEE |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(85, 170, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(207, 82%, 63%) |
| HSV | hsv(207, 64%, 93%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(64%, 29%, 0%, 7%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(67.2 -5.1 -41.6) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.714 0.129 245) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Cerulean shifts subtly: loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#66a7e0 — ΔE 2.3, shifts subtly: loses intensity#5fabea — ΔE 1.1, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#55aaee — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#54abf1 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchangedAgainst white it measures 2.51:1 and against black 8.37:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#e7f4ff · #99d0ff · #55aaee · #3383bf · #0e5d93 · #003b62
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#72daf0 · #5bc3f0 · #55aaee · #6690d9 · #6e77bf · #7061a2
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#c6bae8 · #55aaee · #458ac2 · #7054a7 · #024f7f · #362851
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#d7ecff · #b1c9de · #55aaee · #b56f14 · #416584 · #2f465a
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#fbf0e5 · #55aaee · #7b8996 · #575049 · #14232f · #030100
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#faf0e7 · #d5cac0 · #ada195 · #3d2f20 · #1c0d01 · #55aaee
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e8f1cb · #fbd15c · #55aaee · #575a91 · #473029 · #041013
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffefdf · #55aaee · #bd6f5c · #615000 · #430800 · #080400
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecf0 · #55aaee · #bb6c7f · #435b00 · #1a2600 · #130003
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ffebfa · #55aaee · #ae6fa0 · #764400 · #002a13 · #150600
#6FB7F4 · #87C4F9 · #9ED1FE · #B9DEFF · #D3EAFF
#3E8BC8 · #266EA3 · #0C5180 · #00375B · #001E36
#6AA9DE · #7BA8CF · #8BA6BF
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.