#85A6C8High Tide (#85A6C8) is a light, muted blue with an OKLCH hue of 249°, lightness 0.71 and chroma 0.062. 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 | #85A6C8 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(133, 166, 200) |
| HSL | hsl(210, 38%, 65%) |
| HSV | hsv(210, 34%, 78%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(34%, 17%, 0%, 22%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(66.8 -3.1 -21) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.713 0.062 249) |
Under warm 2700K interior light High Tide shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.1), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#8ea2bb — ΔE 2.1, shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity#8ca7c4 — ΔE 1.1, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#85a6c8 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#85a7cb — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchangedTest High Tide 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 2.53:1 and against black 8.29:1, 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.
#e8f3ff · #afcdec · #85a6c8 · #62809e · #425c76 · #233a50
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.
#9dd2e1 · #8bbdd9 · #85a6c8 · #7c90bb · #777aa4 · #70668b
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.
#c6bdd7 · #85a6c8 · #6687a9 · #6e5d8b · #314e6b · #352c43
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.
#d8ebff · #bac7d3 · #85a6c8 · #9e794e · #516376 · #394451
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f7f1ea · #85a6c8 · #808890 · #54504c · #1b2229 · #020100
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.
#e8f3ff · #becddd · #85a6c8 · #182e43 · #000b1f · #f4a949
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d7dab4 · #85a6c8 · #a25d4a · #43559e · #442932 · #0b082e
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#fcf0e2 · #85a6c8 · #a77b6c · #5b521a · #391407 · #060400
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffedef · #85a6c8 · #a8787f · #44592b · #172701 · #060001
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#fdecf7 · #85a6c8 · #a07993 · #6c491e · #002917 · #130600
#96B3D1 · #A7C0DB · #B8CEE4 · #C9DBEE · #DBE9F7
#6B88A6 · #516B86 · #395067 · #223649 · #0D1D2E
#8CA5C0 · #92A5B8 · #98A4B0
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.