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Light Blue (#ADD8E6)

The hex code for Light Blue is #ADD8E6. It is rgb(173, 216, 230) in RGB, hsl(195, 53%, 79%) in HSL, and about cmyk(25%, 6%, 0%, 10%) in CMYK — a light teal. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#ADD8E6
HEX#ADD8E6
RGBrgb(173, 216, 230)
HSLhsl(195, 53%, 79%)
HSVhsv(195, 25%, 90%)
CMYKcmyk(25%, 6%, 0%, 10%)
OKLCHoklch(85.6% 0.049 219.7)
LABlab(83.61% -12.23 -11.78)
LCHlch(83.61% 16.98 223.94)

Colors Closest to Light Blue

Light 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.

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

#ADD8E6 Channel Values

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

ModelChannelsNotes
RGBR 173 · G 216 · B 2308-bit channels as sent to the display
HSLH 195° · S 53% · L 79%Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSVH 195° · S 25% · V 90%Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYKC 25% · M 6% · Y 0% · K 10%Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance1.53:1 vs white · 13.74:1 vs blackWCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a Light 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.

Fails AAWhite text1.53:1AA normal AA large AAA normal
TextBlack text13.74:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #ADD8E6 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With Light Blue

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite Light 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 Light 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 #ADD8E6.

How Light 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#ADD8E6
Protanopia#D1D1E6
Protanomaly#C4D4E6
Deuteranopia#CBCBE7
Deuteranomaly#C0D0E7
Tritanopia#AADADA
Tritanomaly#ACD9DF
Achromatopsia#D1D1D1

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #ADD8E6 in Code

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

CSS custom property--light-blue: #ADD8E6;
CSS backgroundbackground-color: #ADD8E6;
Tailwind configcolors: { 'light-blue': '#ADD8E6' }
SwiftUIColor(red: 0.678, green: 0.847, blue: 0.902)
Android XML<color name="light_blue">#ADD8E6</color>
SVG fillfill="#ADD8E6"

More Teal Colors

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

#ADD8E6 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Light Blue?

The hex code for Light Blue is #ADD8E6. That is rgb(173, 216, 230) in RGB, hsl(195, 53%, 79%) in HSL, and approximately cmyk(25%, 6%, 0%, 10%) in CMYK.

What is the RGB value of #ADD8E6?

#ADD8E6 is rgb(173, 216, 230) — red 173, green 216, and blue 230 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #ADD8E6?

#ADD8E6 converts to approximately cmyk(25%, 6%, 0%, 10%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #ADD8E6 be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #ADD8E6 scores 1.53:1 against white and 13.74:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Is LightBlue a CSS named color?

Yes. LightBlue is one of the CSS named colors, so you can write color: lightblue instead of the hex code.

Open Light Blue in a Tool

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