About Light Blue
Light Blue (lightblue) is a light, moderately saturated blue with the hex code #add8e6, or rgb(173, 216, 230). In HSL it sits at a hue of 195°, 53% saturation and 79% lightness. It is one of the 148 named colors every browser understands, so you can write color: lightblue; instead of the hex value.
Using Light Blue for text and backgrounds
| Pairing | Contrast ratio | WCAG |
|---|---|---|
| Light Blue text on white | 1.53 : 1 | fails |
| Light Blue text on black | 13.74 : 1 | AAA |
On a light blue background, use black text (13.74 : 1). WCAG asks for at least 4.5 : 1 for body text and 3 : 1 for large text. Check other pairs with the Contrast Checker.
CSS
.element {
color: lightblue; /* or #add8e6 */
background-color: #add8e6;
border: 1px solid rgb(173 216 230 / 50%);
}Similar named colors
Powder Blue (#b0e0e6), Light Steel Blue (#b0c4de), Pale Turquoise (#afeeee), Sky Blue (#87ceeb), Light Gray (#d3d3d3), Light Sky Blue (#87cefa).
Color Name FinderPaste a HEX code to get its closest human-readable name and clean token names for your CSS, SCSS, JavaScript or Tailwind config.
Open the tool Frequently asked questions
What is the hex code for light blue?
#add8e6 — that is rgb(173, 216, 230) and hsl(195, 53%, 79%). In CSS you can also just write lightblue.
Is light blue text readable on white?
Its contrast ratio on white is 1.53 : 1, which fails WCAG — use it for decoration or on a dark background instead.
What colors go well with light blue?
Its complementary color is #e6bbad; analogous colors #ade6d8 and #adbbe6 sit next to it on the color wheel.