#ADD8E6Light Blue (#ADD8E6) is a very light, muted sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 220°, lightness 0.86 and chroma 0.049. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #ADD8E6 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(173, 216, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(195, 53%, 79%) |
| HSV | hsv(195, 25%, 90%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(25%, 6%, 0%, 10%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(83.8 -10.9 -11.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.856 0.049 220) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Light Blue shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it shifts subtly: leans toward blue. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#b9d3d7 — ΔE 2.3, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity#b5d9e1 — ΔE 1.2, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#add8e6 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#add9e9 — ΔE 0.4, shifts subtly: leans toward blueTest Light Blue 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 1.53:1 and against black 13.74:1, 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.
#def7ff · #add8e6 · #83a9b6 · #61838e · #415e68 · #223c44
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.
#add8e6 · #90c4e5 · #8aadd4 · #8696c0 · #8080aa · #786c91
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.
#add8e6 · #a7afc8 · #639bac · #6471a0 · #2b5f6e · #343b52
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.
#add8e6 · #c18975 · #5d6e74 · #31525c · #17343c · #06181d
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#add8e6 · #b9b1ae · #747f83 · #4f4a48 · #152124 · #030101
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.
#e5f5fa · #add8e6 · #8ea3aa · #0f2c35 · #00090f · #ef6a39
The same quiet ground carrying one bright gold voice — the high-energy pairing a cool or muted anchor cannot reach through its own temperature.
#e5f5fa · #add8e6 · #8ea3aa · #0f2c35 · #00090f · #ecbd4d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#eff3cd · #add8e6 · #cb9260 · #6f7ca1 · #583632 · #051111
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#add8e6 · #c1afa9 · #9d6e75 · #654317 · #360f18 · #130600
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#add8e6 · #bdaeb8 · #966f89 · #554c13 · #241f00 · #040002
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#add8e6 · #b7afbe · #887498 · #6d3c2b · #142400 · #0d0100
#B8DDEA · #C2E3ED · #CCE8F1 · #D7EDF4 · #E1F2F8
#8AB1BD · #698B96 · #496770 · #2B454D · #0F252C
#B5D6E1 · #BCD5DD · #C4D3D8
Its high lightness and low chroma make it a natural background or large-surface color. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.