Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Pastel Blue

Pastel Blue is a muted blue color with HEX #AEC6CF. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 174, 198, 207, HSL 196, 26%, 75%, cool temperature, and is useful for soft UI backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design.

#AEC6CF blue cool muted
HEX #AEC6CF
RGB rgb(174, 198, 207)
HSL hsl(196 26% 75%)
CMYK cmyk(16, 4, 0, 19)
Luminance 0.5389
Contrast Black 11.78:1White 1.78:1

CSS Utilities

--color-pastel-blue: #AEC6CF;
.bg-pastel-blue { background-color: #AEC6CF; }
.text-pastel-blue { color: #AEC6CF; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.5389
Black text11.78:1AA Pass
White text1.78:1AA Fail
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#AEC6CF",
  "rgb": [
    174,
    198,
    207
  ],
  "hsl": [
    196,
    26,
    75
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    16,
    4,
    0,
    19
  ],
  "luminance": 0.5389,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 11.78,
    "white": 1.78
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#36454F"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#D0B8AF",
  "analogous": [
    "#AFD0C8",
    "#AFB6D0"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#D0AFC7",
    "#C7D0AF"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#C8AFD0",
    "#D0B8AF",
    "#B6D0AF"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#D0AFB6",
    "#D0C8AF"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#E9EFF2",
    "#AEC6CF",
    "#759FAE"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#E9EFF2",
  "dark": "#759FAE",
  "saturated": "#A1CEDE",
  "desaturated": "#BDC0C2",
  "pastel": "#FFFFFF",
  "neon": "#A8E8FF"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#000000",
    "#D0B8AF",
    "#AFD0C8",
    "#AFB6D0"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#BDC0C2",
    "#E9EFF2"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#E9EFF2",
    "#BDC0C2"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "light-steel-blue",
    "opal",
    "pastel-teal",
    "silver",
    "pastel-lilac"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "pastel-blue"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "light-steel-blue-vs-pastel-blue",
    "pastel-blue-vs-opal",
    "pastel-teal-vs-pastel-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/pastel-blue",
    "/wcag/pastel-blue",
    "/css/colors/pastel-blue",
    "/hex/aec6cf"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/pastel-blue"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/light-steel-blue",
      "/colors/opal",
      "/colors/pastel-teal",
      "/colors/silver",
      "/colors/pastel-lilac",
      "/compare/light-steel-blue-vs-pastel-blue",
      "/compare/pastel-blue-vs-opal",
      "/compare/pastel-teal-vs-pastel-blue",
      "/harmonies/pastel-blue",
      "/wcag/pastel-blue",
      "/css/colors/pastel-blue",
      "/hex/aec6cf"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "pastel-blue",
  "name": "Pastel Blue",
  "hex": "#AEC6CF",
  "uses": [
    "soft UI backgrounds",
    "pastel palettes",
    "gentle product design"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "softness",
      "care",
      "lightness"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "wellness",
      "beauty",
      "children products",
      "lifestyle"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "high-contrast operational alerts"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design, material, cultural, and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "blue",
  "temperature": "cool",
  "tone": [
    "muted"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "blue",
    "cool",
    "muted",
    "soft-ui-backgrounds",
    "pastel-palettes",
    "gentle-product-design",
    "softness",
    "care",
    "lightness"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    174,
    198,
    207
  ],
  "hsl": [
    196,
    26,
    75
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    16,
    4,
    0,
    19
  ],
  "luminance": 0.5389,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 11.78,
    "white": 1.78
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#D0B8AF",
    "analogous": [
      "#AFD0C8",
      "#AFB6D0"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#D0AFC7",
      "#C7D0AF"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#C8AFD0",
      "#D0B8AF",
      "#B6D0AF"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#D0AFB6",
      "#D0C8AF"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#E9EFF2",
      "#AEC6CF",
      "#759FAE"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#E9EFF2",
    "dark": "#759FAE",
    "saturated": "#A1CEDE",
    "desaturated": "#BDC0C2",
    "pastel": "#FFFFFF",
    "neon": "#A8E8FF"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#36454F"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-pastel-blue: #AEC6CF;",
    "utility": ".bg-pastel-blue { background-color: #AEC6CF; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-pastel-blue { color: #AEC6CF; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "light-steel-blue",
    "opal",
    "pastel-teal",
    "silver",
    "pastel-lilac"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "pastel-blue"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "light-steel-blue-vs-pastel-blue",
    "pastel-blue-vs-opal",
    "pastel-teal-vs-pastel-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/pastel-blue",
    "/wcag/pastel-blue",
    "/css/colors/pastel-blue",
    "/hex/aec6cf"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/pastel-blue"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/light-steel-blue",
      "/colors/opal",
      "/colors/pastel-teal",
      "/colors/silver",
      "/colors/pastel-lilac",
      "/compare/light-steel-blue-vs-pastel-blue",
      "/compare/pastel-blue-vs-opal",
      "/compare/pastel-teal-vs-pastel-blue",
      "/harmonies/pastel-blue",
      "/wcag/pastel-blue",
      "/css/colors/pastel-blue",
      "/hex/aec6cf"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#000000",
      "#D0B8AF",
      "#AFD0C8",
      "#AFB6D0"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#BDC0C2",
      "#E9EFF2"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#E9EFF2",
      "#BDC0C2"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Color meaning and use

About Pastel Blue Color

Pastel Blue sits in the blue family with cool temperature and muted visual character. Pastel Blue is a commonly used color name in design references, palettes, and editorial color systems.

Its common associations include softness, care, and lightness, which makes it relevant for wellness and beauty. In design work, Pastel Blue is most useful for soft ui backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design, especially when paired with black text for stronger contrast.

Related Color Guides

Blue color familyBrowse named blue colors and compare nearby swatches.Cool colorsExplore colors with cool temperature behavior.Muted colorsFind colors with muted visual character.Pastel Blue accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #AEC6CF.Pastel Blue CSS utilitiesUse Pastel Blue in CSS variables and utility classes.#AEC6CF HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Pastel Blue paletteOpen the generated palette based on Pastel Blue.Pastel Blue harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Pastel Blue against black and white text.

Black text11.78:1AA Pass
White text1.78:1AA Fail
AA text options#000000, #1A1A1A, #36454F
AAA text options#000000, #1A1A1A
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Light Steel Blue#B0C4DE
Opal#A8C3BC
Pastel Teal#9FD8D2
Silver#C0C0C0
Pastel Lilac#BDB0D0

Color Harmonies

#D0B8AF#D0B8AF
#AFD0C8#AFD0C8
#AFB6D0#AFB6D0
#D0AFC7#D0AFC7
#C7D0AF#C7D0AF
Open full Pastel Blue harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#E9EFF2#E9EFF2
#759FAE#759FAE
#A1CEDE#A1CEDE
#BDC0C2#BDC0C2
White#FFFFFF
#A8E8FF#A8E8FF

Pairings

Black#000000
#D0B8AF#D0B8AF
#AFD0C8#AFD0C8
#AFB6D0#AFB6D0
Matte Black#1A1A1A
White Smoke#F5F5F5