Columbia Blue (#9BDDFF)

The hex code for Columbia Blue is #9BDDFF. It is rgb(155, 221, 255) in RGB, hsl(200, 100%, 80%) in HSL, and about cmyk(39%, 13%, 0%, 0%) in CMYK — a lightest blue. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#9BDDFF

HEX#9BDDFF

RGBrgb(155, 221, 255)

HSLhsl(200, 100%, 80%)

HSVhsv(200, 39%, 100%)

CMYKcmyk(39%, 13%, 0%, 0%)

OKLCHoklch(86.5% 0.082 231.3)

LABlab(84.58% -15.27 -23.61)

LCHlch(84.58% 28.12 237.10)

Colors Closest to Columbia Blue

Columbia Blue is a registered color name. These are the named colors nearest to it, measured as CIE76 distance in CIELAB — a perceptual scale, so the ordering matches what the eye sees rather than how close the raw RGB numbers happen to sit.

Pale Cyan#87D3F8ΔE 5.04 Baby Blue#89CFF0ΔE 5.34 Sky Blue#87CEEBΔE 6.42 Cornflower Blue (Crayola)#93CCEAΔE 6.45 Light Sky Blue#87CEFAΔE 7.67 Non-photo Blue#A4DDEDΔE 9.57

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every blue in the library.

#9BDDFF Channel Values

How Columbia Blue breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

Model	Channels	Notes
RGB	R 155 · G 221 · B 255	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 200° · S 100% · L 80%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 200° · S 39% · V 100%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 39% · M 13% · Y 0% · K 0%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	1.48:1 vs white · 14.18:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a Columbia Blue background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.

TextWhite text1.48:1AA normal ✗AA large ✗AAA normal ✗

TextBlack text14.18:1AA normal ✓AA large ✓AAA normal ✓

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #9BDDFF in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With Columbia Blue

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite Columbia Blue; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base

Complementary

Analogous

Analogous

Triadic

Triadic

Split comp.

Split comp.

Tints & Shades of Columbia Blue

Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #9BDDFF.

How Columbia Blue Looks with Color Vision Deficiency

Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.

Typical#9BDDFF

Protanopia#D4D4FF

Protanomaly#C0D7FF

Deuteranopia#CACAFF

Deuteranomaly#B9D2FF

Tritanopia#93E2E2

Tritanomaly#96E0EE

Achromatopsia#D4D4D4

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #9BDDFF in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--columbia-blue: #9BDDFF;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #9BDDFF;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'columbia-blue': '#9BDDFF' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.608, green: 0.867, blue: 1.000)

Android XML<color name="columbia_blue">#9BDDFF</color>

SVG fillfill="#9BDDFF"

More Blue Colors

Columbia Blue sits in the bluefamily. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

9ca8b4 9bc4e2 9e9eff 99ccff a091f3 99a1af a1caf1 9999ff a2a2d0 9999eb a2add0 9999cc beb8ff ddd6ff fafaff 001c38 0078d7 0f073c 1b03a3 2929ff 3719e1 4d4dff 64609a 7abdff

#9BDDFF Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Columbia Blue?

The hex code for Columbia Blue is #9BDDFF. That is rgb(155, 221, 255) in RGB, hsl(200, 100%, 80%) in HSL, and approximately cmyk(39%, 13%, 0%, 0%) in CMYK.

What is the RGB value of #9BDDFF?

#9BDDFF is rgb(155, 221, 255) — red 155, green 221, and blue 255 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #9BDDFF?

#9BDDFF converts to approximately cmyk(39%, 13%, 0%, 0%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #9BDDFF be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #9BDDFF scores 1.48:1 against white and 14.18:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #9BDDFF as a CSS color keyword?

No. #9BDDFF is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is skyblue (#87CEEB) at a CIE76 distance of 6.42, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.

Open Columbia Blue in a Tool

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Keep exploring: every blue in the color library, the guide to shades of blue, or the full color library.