What color is #85BAEF?

#85BAEF is a light, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(133, 186, 239), and in HSL hsl(210, 77%, 73%).

Is #85BAEF accessible as text?

On white, #85BAEF has a contrast ratio of 2.05:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.27:1 (passes). For text placed on #85BAEF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85BAEF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-300 (#8EC5FF).

What colors go well with #85BAEF?

#85BAEF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EFBA85. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85BAEF below.

Is #85BAEF good for buttons?

#85BAEF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #85BAEF — white text only reaches 2.05:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85BAEF the same as CSS lightskyblue?

No — #85BAEF is not the CSS named color lightskyblue, but lightskyblue (#87CEFA) is the closest CSS named color.

#85BAEF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85BAEF

Not just a swatch — here's how #85BAEF works with other colors. Named schemes with #85BAEF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85BAEF Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

Maya Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #85BAEF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Maya Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #85BAEF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #B0E1FF

Maya Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Maya Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #85BAEF Secondary #D2E4F8 Support #959386 Ink #16140F

Maya Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Maya Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #85BAEF Anchor #3B2924 Surface #EAE5D0 Accent #799E78 Secondary #393933

Maya Blue anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85BAEF actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 23/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 64/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 23/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 37/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 33/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 50/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 79/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85BAEF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85BAEF with

Pale Turquoise Medium Purple Burlywood Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 9.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAF1F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8597EF — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #85BAEF at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #85BAEF;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 186 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.2% 0.095 249.1);
  --color-50: #F1F7FE;
  --color-100: #DAEBFB;
  --color-200: #B7D6F5;
  --color-300: #86B8E9;
  --color-400: #5999D9;
  --color-500: #377ABE;
  --color-600: #316191;
  --color-700: #284766;
  --color-800: #1E3043;
  --color-900: #141F29;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  maya-blue: {
    50: '#F1F7FE',
    100: '#DAEBFB',
    200: '#B7D6F5',
    300: '#86B8E9',
    400: '#5999D9',
    500: '#377ABE',
    600: '#316191',
    700: '#284766',
    800: '#1E3043',
    900: '#141F29',
  },
}

$base: #85BAEF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F7FE;
$base-100: #DAEBFB;
$base-200: #B7D6F5;
$base-300: #86B8E9;
$base-400: #5999D9;
$base-500: #377ABE;
$base-600: #316191;
$base-700: #284766;
$base-800: #1E3043;
$base-900: #141F29;
$base-hover: #4395E7;
$base-subtle: #DEEAF6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85BAEF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F7FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAEBFB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B7D6F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#86B8E9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5999D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#377ABE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#316191",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#284766",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1E3043",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#141F29",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}