#87CEEBSky Blue (#87CEEB) is a light, soft sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 226°, lightness 0.81 and chroma 0.082. 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 | #87CEEB |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(135, 206, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(197, 71%, 73%) |
| HSV | hsv(197, 43%, 92%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(43%, 12%, 0%, 8%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(79.2 -14.8 -21.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.815 0.082 226) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Sky Blue 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 ≈ 2.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#95cadc — ΔE 2.3, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity#90cfe6 — ΔE 1.2, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#87ceeb — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#86cfee — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Sky 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 1.74:1 and against black 12.06:1, 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.
#e1f6ff · #87ceeb · #6badc7 · #4a869d · #2b6175 · #093e4f
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.
#abebe9 · #96ddea · #87ceeb · #84b6dc · #829fc8 · #7e88b2
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.
#87ceeb · #9ca1bd · #548ea5 · #5c6396 · #1b5367 · #2c2f48
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.
#d6eaf3 · #87ceeb · #cb9075 · #628593 · #466471 · #31444d
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#87ceeb · #ada4a0 · #6a767b · #4a4442 · #121e23 · #050201
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.
#faefea · #d4c7c2 · #a99b95 · #34241c · #110401 · #87ceeb
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#dee0bb · #87ceeb · #e96440 · #586dab · #50323f · #031128
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#87ceeb · #b4a299 · #976467 · #5f3e01 · #360a11 · #0f0500
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#87ceeb · #b2a0a9 · #91657c · #4c4803 · #1f1d00 · #040002
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#87ceeb · #aca2b1 · #83688e · #69361c · #0b2300 · #110200
#98D5EF · #A8DCF3 · #B8E4F6 · #C7EBFA · #D6F2FE
#69A9C3 · #4C859C · #2F6377 · #144353 · #002532
#96CCE3 · #A3C9DA · #AFC7D1
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.