Nearest-color comparison
Glacier Blue #78B9D2 vs Sky Blue #87CEEB: RGB distance 35.9 and contrast 1.25:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Glacier Blue and Sky Blue are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 35.9. Sky Blue is lighter by 0.1195, and Sky Blue is more saturated by 21 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.25:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Glacier Blue and Sky Blue across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Glacier Blue is #78B9D2, a cool blue with hue 197°, saturation 50% and luminance 0.4334. Beside Sky Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9.67:1.
blue color
Sky Blue is #87CEEB, a cool blue with hue 197°, saturation 71% and luminance 0.5529. Beside Glacier Blue, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 12.06:1.
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 Glacier Blue and Sky 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": "glacier-blue",
"name": "Glacier Blue",
"hex": "#78B9D2",
"rgb": [
120,
185,
210
],
"hsl": [
197,
50,
65
],
"cmyk": [
43,
12,
0,
18
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.4334,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.67,
"white": 2.17
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.67
},
"description": "Glacier Blue is #78B9D2, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Sky Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/glacier-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/glacier-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "sky-blue",
"name": "Sky Blue",
"hex": "#87CEEB",
"rgb": [
135,
206,
235
],
"hsl": [
197,
71,
73
],
"cmyk": [
43,
12,
0,
8
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.5529,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.06,
"white": 1.74
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.06
},
"description": "Sky Blue is #87CEEB, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Glacier Blue, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/sky-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sky-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 35.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.25,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 21,
"lightness": 8
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1195,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Sky Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Sky Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.25,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Glacier Blue",
"background": "#78B9D2",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.67
},
{
"color": "Sky Blue",
"background": "#87CEEB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.06
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Glacier Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #78B9D2.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Sky Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #87CEEB.",
"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/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/glacier-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sky-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Glacier Blue vs Sky Blue",
"verdict": "Glacier Blue and Sky Blue are visually related colors. Sky Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.25:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Glacier Blue and Sky Blue are different blue colors with HEX values #78B9D2 and #87CEEB. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 35.9, their contrast ratio is 1.25:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 35.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.25,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "glacier-blue",
"name": "Glacier Blue",
"hex": "#78B9D2",
"rgb": [
120,
185,
210
],
"hsl": [
197,
50,
65
],
"cmyk": [
43,
12,
0,
18
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.4334,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.67,
"white": 2.17
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.67
},
"description": "Glacier Blue is #78B9D2, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Sky Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/glacier-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/glacier-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "sky-blue",
"name": "Sky Blue",
"hex": "#87CEEB",
"rgb": [
135,
206,
235
],
"hsl": [
197,
71,
73
],
"cmyk": [
43,
12,
0,
8
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.5529,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.06,
"white": 1.74
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.06
},
"description": "Sky Blue is #87CEEB, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Glacier Blue, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/sky-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sky-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 35.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.25,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 21,
"lightness": 8
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1195,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Sky Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Sky Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.25,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Glacier Blue",
"background": "#78B9D2",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.67
},
{
"color": "Sky Blue",
"background": "#87CEEB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.06
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Glacier Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #78B9D2.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Sky Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #87CEEB.",
"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/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/glacier-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sky-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/glacier-blue-vs-sky-blue.json"
}