What color is #85D4EA?

#85D4EA is a light, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(133, 212, 234), and in HSL hsl(193, 71%, 72%).

Is #85D4EA accessible as text?

On white, #85D4EA has a contrast ratio of 1.67:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.60:1 (passes). For text placed on #85D4EA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85D4EA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-300 (#74D4FF).

What colors go well with #85D4EA?

#85D4EA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EA9B85. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85D4EA below.

Is #85D4EA good for buttons?

#85D4EA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #85D4EA — white text only reaches 1.67:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85D4EA the same as CSS skyblue?

No — #85D4EA is not the CSS named color skyblue, but skyblue (#87CEEB) is the closest CSS named color.

#85D4EA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85D4EA

Not just a swatch — here's how #85D4EA works with other colors. Named schemes with #85D4EA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #85D4EA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B94A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85D4EA Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #85D4EA Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Sky Blue sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #85D4EA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #B4FBFF

Sky 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 Sky Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #85D4EA Secondary #DFF9FF Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Sky 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 Sky Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85D4EA 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 26/100

Cool

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

Softness 70/100

High

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

Depth 17/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 24/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 32/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 19/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85D4EA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85D4EA with

Seafoam Cornflower Blue Dark Salmon Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 11.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9F5F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #85B3EA — 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 #85D4EA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #85D4EA;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 212 234;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(82.7% 0.083 217.5);
  --color-50: #F1FBFD;
  --color-100: #DBF3FA;
  --color-200: #B9E7F3;
  --color-300: #8AD2E5;
  --color-400: #5EBAD4;
  --color-500: #3C9EB9;
  --color-600: #357A8D;
  --color-700: #2B5864;
  --color-800: #1F3A42;
  --color-900: #152428;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  sky-blue: {
    50: '#F1FBFD',
    100: '#DBF3FA',
    200: '#B9E7F3',
    300: '#8AD2E5',
    400: '#5EBAD4',
    500: '#3C9EB9',
    600: '#357A8D',
    700: '#2B5864',
    800: '#1F3A42',
    900: '#152428',
  },
}

$base: #85D4EA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FBFD;
$base-100: #DBF3FA;
$base-200: #B9E7F3;
$base-300: #8AD2E5;
$base-400: #5EBAD4;
$base-500: #3C9EB9;
$base-600: #357A8D;
$base-700: #2B5864;
$base-800: #1F3A42;
$base-900: #152428;
$base-hover: #46BEE0;
$base-subtle: #DEF0F5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85D4EA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FBFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF3FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9E7F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AD2E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5EBAD4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3C9EB9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#357A8D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B5864",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3A42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152428",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #85D4EA

Color Lab

Pairs with #85D4EA

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export