Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Sky Blue

Sky Blue is a balanced blue color with HEX #87CEEB. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 135, 206, 235, HSL 197, 71%, 73%, cool temperature, and is useful for web design, CSS color systems, and UI prototyping.

#87CEEB blue cool balanced
HEX #87CEEB
RGB rgb(135, 206, 235)
HSL hsl(197 71% 73%)
CMYK cmyk(43, 12, 0, 8)
Luminance 0.5529
Contrast Black 12.06:1White 1.74:1

CSS Utilities

--color-sky-blue: #87CEEB;
.bg-sky-blue { background-color: #87CEEB; }
.text-sky-blue { color: #87CEEB; }
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
Luminance0.5529
Black text12.06:1AA Pass
White text1.74:1AA 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": "#87CEEB",
  "rgb": [
    135,
    206,
    235
  ],
  "hsl": [
    197,
    71,
    73
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    43,
    12,
    0,
    8
  ],
  "luminance": 0.5529,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 12.06,
    "white": 1.74
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#36454F"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#EBA589",
  "analogous": [
    "#89EBD6",
    "#899EEB"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#EB89CF",
    "#CFEB89"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#D689EB",
    "#EBA589",
    "#9EEB89"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#EB899E",
    "#EBD689"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#D8EFF8",
    "#87CEEB",
    "#3BB0DE"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#D8EFF8",
  "dark": "#3BB0DE",
  "saturated": "#7AD6FA",
  "desaturated": "#98C9DC",
  "pastel": "#F7FBFD",
  "neon": "#9EE4FF"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#000000",
    "#EBA589",
    "#89EBD6",
    "#899EEB"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#98C9DC",
    "#D8EFF8"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#D8EFF8",
    "#98C9DC"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "baby-blue",
    "light-sky-blue",
    "maya-blue",
    "aquamarine-blue",
    "glacier-blue"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "sky-blue"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "baby-blue-vs-sky-blue",
    "glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue",
    "light-sky-blue-vs-sky-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/sky-blue",
    "/wcag/sky-blue",
    "/css/colors/sky-blue",
    "/hex/87ceeb"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/sky-blue"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/baby-blue",
      "/colors/light-sky-blue",
      "/colors/maya-blue",
      "/colors/aquamarine-blue",
      "/colors/glacier-blue",
      "/compare/baby-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/compare/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/compare/light-sky-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/harmonies/sky-blue",
      "/wcag/sky-blue",
      "/css/colors/sky-blue",
      "/hex/87ceeb"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "sky-blue",
  "name": "Sky Blue",
  "cssName": "skyblue",
  "hex": "#87CEEB",
  "family": "blue",
  "temperature": "cool",
  "tone": [
    "balanced"
  ],
  "uses": [
    "web design",
    "CSS color systems",
    "UI prototyping"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "context dependent"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "web interfaces",
      "design systems",
      "technical color references"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "claims that require brand or cultural specificity"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [
    "skyblue"
  ],
  "sourceType": "standard",
  "confidence": "high",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.w3.org/TR/css-color-4/#named-colors",
  "origin": {
    "type": "css",
    "notes": "Standard CSS named color."
  },
  "reviewStatus": "auto",
  "editorialNotes": "Generated from CSS named color data and computed color-system properties.",
  "tags": [
    "blue",
    "cool",
    "balanced",
    "web-design",
    "css-color-systems",
    "ui-prototyping",
    "context-dependent"
  ],
  "popularity": 63,
  "rgb": [
    135,
    206,
    235
  ],
  "hsl": [
    197,
    71,
    73
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    43,
    12,
    0,
    8
  ],
  "luminance": 0.5529,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 12.06,
    "white": 1.74
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#EBA589",
    "analogous": [
      "#89EBD6",
      "#899EEB"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#EB89CF",
      "#CFEB89"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#D689EB",
      "#EBA589",
      "#9EEB89"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#EB899E",
      "#EBD689"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#D8EFF8",
      "#87CEEB",
      "#3BB0DE"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#D8EFF8",
    "dark": "#3BB0DE",
    "saturated": "#7AD6FA",
    "desaturated": "#98C9DC",
    "pastel": "#F7FBFD",
    "neon": "#9EE4FF"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#36454F"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-sky-blue: #87CEEB;",
    "utility": ".bg-sky-blue { background-color: #87CEEB; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-sky-blue { color: #87CEEB; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "baby-blue",
    "light-sky-blue",
    "maya-blue",
    "aquamarine-blue",
    "glacier-blue"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "sky-blue"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "baby-blue-vs-sky-blue",
    "glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue",
    "light-sky-blue-vs-sky-blue"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/blue",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/sky-blue",
    "/wcag/sky-blue",
    "/css/colors/sky-blue",
    "/hex/87ceeb"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/blue",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/sky-blue"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/baby-blue",
      "/colors/light-sky-blue",
      "/colors/maya-blue",
      "/colors/aquamarine-blue",
      "/colors/glacier-blue",
      "/compare/baby-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/compare/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/compare/light-sky-blue-vs-sky-blue",
      "/harmonies/sky-blue",
      "/wcag/sky-blue",
      "/css/colors/sky-blue",
      "/hex/87ceeb"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#000000",
      "#EBA589",
      "#89EBD6",
      "#899EEB"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#98C9DC",
      "#D8EFF8"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#D8EFF8",
      "#98C9DC"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Color meaning and use

About Sky Blue Color

Sky Blue sits in the blue family with cool temperature and balanced visual character. Standard CSS named color.

Its common associations include context dependent, which makes it relevant for web interfaces and design systems. In design work, Sky Blue is most useful for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, 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.Balanced colorsFind colors with balanced visual character.Sky Blue accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #87CEEB.Sky Blue CSS utilitiesUse Sky Blue in CSS variables and utility classes.#87CEEB HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Sky Blue paletteOpen the generated palette based on Sky Blue.Sky Blue harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Sky Blue against black and white text.

Black text12.06:1AA Pass
White text1.74:1AA Fail
AA text options#000000, #1A1A1A, #36454F
AAA text options#000000, #1A1A1A
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Baby Blue#89CFF0
Light Sky Blue#87CEFA
Maya Blue#73C2FB
Aquamarine Blue#6BCAE2
Glacier Blue#78B9D2

Color Harmonies

#EBA589#EBA589
#89EBD6#89EBD6
#899EEB#899EEB
#EB89CF#EB89CF
#CFEB89#CFEB89
Open full Sky Blue harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#D8EFF8#D8EFF8
#3BB0DE#3BB0DE
#7AD6FA#7AD6FA
#98C9DC#98C9DC
#F7FBFD#F7FBFD
#9EE4FF#9EE4FF

Pairings

Black#000000
#EBA589#EBA589
#89EBD6#89EBD6
#899EEB#899EEB
Matte Black#1A1A1A
White Smoke#F5F5F5