#85A3B2Grauzone (#85A3B2) is a light, muted sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 230°, lightness 0.7 and chroma 0.04. 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 | #85A3B2 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(133, 163, 178) |
| HSL | hsl(200, 23%, 61%) |
| HSV | hsv(200, 25%, 70%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(25%, 8%, 0%, 30%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(65.3 -6.9 -11.2) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.698 0.040 230) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Grauzone shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.9), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#8e9fa6 — ΔE 1.9, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity#8ba4ae — ΔE 1.0, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#85a3b2 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#85a4b4 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Grauzone in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 2.67:1 and against black 7.88:1, 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.
#e2f5ff · #b3cedc · #85a3b2 · #66818f · #455d69 · #263b45
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.
#97d0d1 · #7ebcca · #85a3b2 · #6890b4 · #657aa0 · #60658a
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.
#b8bbd5 · #85a3b2 · #56879e · #5b5d8d · #1f4d61 · #2a2b42
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.
#c9eafa · #b2c3cc · #85a3b2 · #a16f54 · #47616e · #31424a
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f8f0ec · #85a3b2 · #7a848a · #524d4b · #172227 · #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.
#e8f4fa · #bfcdd4 · #85a3b2 · #192d36 · #000b14 · #f0833f
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ffeee5 · #85a3b2 · #a17862 · #6f4127 · #371500 · #00050c
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffeee5 · #85a3b2 · #a47474 · #644917 · #391113 · #100600
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecf4 · #85a3b2 · #9f7488 · #51521b · #222200 · #040001
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#f9edfc · #85a3b2 · #937799 · #6f4127 · #0d2707 · #0f0200
#96B1BE · #A7BECA · #B9CCD6 · #CADAE2 · #DCE8EF
#6B8693 · #526A76 · #3A4F59 · #24363E · #0F1E25
#8BA2AE · #90A1A9 · #95A0A5
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.