Sky blue

#81ceeb

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for sky blue, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

This is Sky blue, a strong blue at 196 degrees. Light blues like this feel trustworthy, common in finance and software. Warm oranges and ambers opposite it add energy and grey keeps it professional.

Sky blue color values

Every conversion for #81ceeb, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#81ceeb
RGB129, 206, 235
HSL196, 73%, 71%
HSV196, 45%, 92%
CMYK45%, 12%, 0%, 8%
Lab78.93, -16.28, -21.73
XYZ46.12, 54.81, 86.75
Decimal8507115
Web safe#99ccff
Pantone297 C
Pantone297 CHex#81ceebRgb129 206 235Cmyk45 12 0 8Lab79 -16 -22Darker#1e93bfDeep#43b6e1Lighter#c1e5f2

Shades of sky blue

Tints of sky blue

Colors that go with sky blue

Sky blue in print

It sits in a comfortable part of the gamut and reproduces reliably on press. The cmyk build is 45, 12, 0, 8.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #81ceeb on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C
45 12 0 8
Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.
Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U
45 15 4 14
The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color is saturated enough to sit near the edge of cmyk gamut, so expect a small drop in punch on paper and proof it before a long run.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or readrgb vs cmyk for print andwhat the k in cmyk means.

Sky blue in css

Copy #81ceeb straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #81ceeb; }
.text { color: #81ceeb; }
.border { border: 2px solid #81ceeb; }

How sky blue looks on light and dark

Sky blue and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #81ceeb against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Textwhite text on this color
1.76:1
AAfail · AA largefail · AAAfail
Textblack text on this color
11.96:1
AApass · AA largepass · AAApass

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #81ceeb against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through ourcontrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Sky blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #81ceeb sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Your nameFounderhello@brand.comBusiness card
Sticker
Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around sky blue? Pull matching colors from any photo with thecolor palette generator, or check a design for print with thergb to cmyk converter.

Turn sky blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #81ceeb and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from sky blue, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

The figures for #81ceeb come from standard color math, shown so you can check them. Rgb, hsl, hsv, lab and xyz are derived through the usual sRGB conversion formulas. The uncoated cmyk build carries more ink than the coated one, which is what a printer would compensate for when the same color runs on a rougher stock. For Pantone we return the nearest reference by perceptual distance, which gets you close but is not a substitute for a physical swatch book.