Nearest-color comparison
Arctic Blue #C6E6FB vs Milk Blue #D6EAF8: RGB distance 16.8 and contrast 1.05:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Arctic Blue and Milk Blue are very close, with an RGB distance of 16.8. Milk Blue is lighter by 0.0436, and Arctic Blue is more saturated by 16 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Arctic Blue and Milk Blue across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Arctic Blue is #C6E6FB, a cool blue with hue 204°, saturation 87% and luminance 0.7556. Beside Milk Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 16.11:1.
blue color
Milk Blue is #D6EAF8, a cool blue with hue 205°, saturation 71% and luminance 0.7992. Beside Arctic Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 16.98:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Arctic Blue and Milk Blue, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "arctic-blue",
"name": "Arctic Blue",
"hex": "#C6E6FB",
"rgb": [
198,
230,
251
],
"hsl": [
204,
87,
88
],
"cmyk": [
21,
8,
0,
2
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7556,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.11,
"white": 1.3
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.11
},
"description": "Arctic Blue is #C6E6FB, a cool blue color with light and pastel character. Compared with Milk Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/arctic-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/arctic-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "milk-blue",
"name": "Milk Blue",
"hex": "#D6EAF8",
"rgb": [
214,
234,
248
],
"hsl": [
205,
71,
91
],
"cmyk": [
14,
6,
0,
3
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7992,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.98,
"white": 1.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.98
},
"description": "Milk Blue is #D6EAF8, a cool blue color with light and pastel character. Compared with Arctic Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for soft ui backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/milk-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/milk-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 16.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 1,
"saturation": 16,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0436,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"lighterColor": "Milk Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Arctic Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Arctic Blue",
"background": "#C6E6FB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.11
},
{
"color": "Milk Blue",
"background": "#D6EAF8",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.98
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Arctic Blue is better when the design needs light and pastel blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #C6E6FB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Milk Blue is better when the design needs light and pastel blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #D6EAF8.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/arctic-blue-vs-milk-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/arctic-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/milk-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "arctic-blue-vs-milk-blue",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Arctic Blue vs Milk Blue",
"verdict": "Arctic Blue and Milk Blue are very close colors. Milk Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Arctic Blue and Milk Blue are different blue colors with HEX values #C6E6FB and #D6EAF8. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.8, their contrast ratio is 1.05:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 16.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "arctic-blue",
"name": "Arctic Blue",
"hex": "#C6E6FB",
"rgb": [
198,
230,
251
],
"hsl": [
204,
87,
88
],
"cmyk": [
21,
8,
0,
2
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7556,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.11,
"white": 1.3
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.11
},
"description": "Arctic Blue is #C6E6FB, a cool blue color with light and pastel character. Compared with Milk Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/arctic-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/arctic-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "milk-blue",
"name": "Milk Blue",
"hex": "#D6EAF8",
"rgb": [
214,
234,
248
],
"hsl": [
205,
71,
91
],
"cmyk": [
14,
6,
0,
3
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7992,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.98,
"white": 1.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.98
},
"description": "Milk Blue is #D6EAF8, a cool blue color with light and pastel character. Compared with Arctic Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for soft ui backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/milk-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/milk-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 16.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 1,
"saturation": 16,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0436,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"light",
"pastel"
],
"lighterColor": "Milk Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Arctic Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Arctic Blue",
"background": "#C6E6FB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.11
},
{
"color": "Milk Blue",
"background": "#D6EAF8",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.98
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Arctic Blue is better when the design needs light and pastel blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #C6E6FB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Milk Blue is better when the design needs light and pastel blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #D6EAF8.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/arctic-blue-vs-milk-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/arctic-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/milk-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/arctic-blue-vs-milk-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/arctic-blue-vs-milk-blue.json"
}