#87CEFALight Sky Blue (#87CEFA) is a very light, soft sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 237°, lightness 0.82 and chroma 0.095. 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 | #87CEFA |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(135, 206, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 92%, 75%) |
| HSV | hsv(203, 46%, 98%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(46%, 18%, 0%, 2%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(79.7 -10.8 -28.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.821 0.095 237) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Light Sky Blue shifts subtly: loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#96caeb — ΔE 2.4, shifts subtly: loses intensity#90cff5 — ΔE 1.2, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#87cefa — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#86cffd — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedAgainst white it measures 1.72:1 and against black 12.24:1, 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.
#e5f4ff · #87cefa · #6aabd3 · #4984a7 · #2a5f7e · #083d57
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.
#a1e4fa · #87cefa · #88b5e9 · #899dd4 · #8786bb · #8270a0
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.
#87cefa · #a3a1c1 · #548eb1 · #675f9c · #1c5371 · #322e4c
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.
#d7ebf9 · #87cefa · #cf9266 · #63869c · #466578 · #324552
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#87cefa · #afa6a0 · #6b777f · #4b4541 · #121e26 · #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.
#faefe8 · #d6c9c1 · #ad9f96 · #3c2c20 · #1a0a02 · #87cefa
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e0e5c0 · #87cefa · #e36f28 · #656bac · #54343b · #04072c
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#87cefa · #b6a497 · #9d645d · #594300 · #3a0606 · #0a0400
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#87cefa · #b8a1a8 · #996276 · #444c00 · #1b1f00 · #080002
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#87cefa · #b2a2b1 · #8d668d · #6b3702 · #002505 · #1b0700
#98D5FC · #A8DCFE · #B8E3FF · #CAEAFF · #DBF1FF
#69A9D0 · #4B85A7 · #2F6280 · #13425B · #002437
#96CCEF · #A4CAE4 · #B0C8D8
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.