What color is #85E4EE?

#85E4EE is a light, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(133, 228, 238), and in HSL hsl(186, 76%, 73%).

Is #85E4EE accessible as text?

On white, #85E4EE has a contrast ratio of 1.47:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 14.33:1 (passes). For text placed on #85E4EE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85E4EE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-300 (#53EAFD).

What colors go well with #85E4EE?

#85E4EE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EE9086. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85E4EE below.

Is #85E4EE good for buttons?

#85E4EE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #85E4EE — white text only reaches 1.47:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85E4EE the same as CSS powderblue?

No — #85E4EE is not the CSS named color powderblue, but powderblue (#B0E0E6) is the closest CSS named color.

#85E4EE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85E4EE

Not just a swatch — here's how #85E4EE works with other colors. Named schemes with #85E4EE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #85E4EE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Powder 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 #85E4EE Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Powder 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 #85E4EE Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Powder 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 #85E4EE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #B6FFFF

Powder 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 Powder Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #85E4EE Secondary #E2FFFF Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Powder 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 Powder Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85E4EE 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 71/100

High

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

Depth 13/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 8/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 20/100

Very low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 35/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 13/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 76/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85E4EE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85E4EE with

Seafoam Iceberg 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 12.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAF7F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #86C1EE — 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 #85E4EE 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: #85E4EE;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 228 238;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(86.4% 0.091 204.4);
  --color-50: #F1FCFE;
  --color-100: #DAF8FB;
  --color-200: #B7EFF5;
  --color-300: #87DFE9;
  --color-400: #5ACBD8;
  --color-500: #37B0BD;
  --color-600: #328790;
  --color-700: #296066;
  --color-800: #1E3F43;
  --color-900: #142729;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  powder-blue: {
    50: '#F1FCFE',
    100: '#DAF8FB',
    200: '#B7EFF5',
    300: '#87DFE9',
    400: '#5ACBD8',
    500: '#37B0BD',
    600: '#328790',
    700: '#296066',
    800: '#1E3F43',
    900: '#142729',
  },
}

$base: #85E4EE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FCFE;
$base-100: #DAF8FB;
$base-200: #B7EFF5;
$base-300: #87DFE9;
$base-400: #5ACBD8;
$base-500: #37B0BD;
$base-600: #328790;
$base-700: #296066;
$base-800: #1E3F43;
$base-900: #142729;
$base-hover: #44D5E6;
$base-subtle: #DEF4F6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85E4EE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FCFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAF8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B7EFF5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#87DFE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5ACBD8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#37B0BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#328790",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#296066",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1E3F43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142729",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #85E4EE

Color Lab

Pairs with #85E4EE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export