What color is #90CAEB?

#90CAEB is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(144, 202, 235), and in HSL hsl(202, 69%, 74%).

Is #90CAEB accessible as text?

On white, #90CAEB has a contrast ratio of 1.77:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.83:1 (passes). For text placed on #90CAEB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #90CAEB?

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

What colors go well with #90CAEB?

#90CAEB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EAB18F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #90CAEB below.

Is #90CAEB good for buttons?

#90CAEB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #90CAEB — white text only reaches 1.77:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #90CAEB the same as CSS skyblue?

No — #90CAEB is not the CSS named color skyblue, but skyblue (#87CEEB) is the closest CSS named color.

#90CAEB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #90CAEB

Not just a swatch — here's how #90CAEB works with other colors. Named schemes with #90CAEB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #90CAEB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 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 #90CAEB Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #90CAEB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B2A0 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 #90CAEB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #BCF1FF

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 #90CAEB Secondary #DEF2FE 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 #90CAEB 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 28/100

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 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 29/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 22/100

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 81/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #90CAEB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #90CAEB with

Pale Turquoise Cornflower Blue Dusty Rose Platinum 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 10.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBF3F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8FAAEA — 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 #90CAEB 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: #90CAEB;
  --color-base-rgb: 144 202 235;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.1% 0.076 233.9);
  --color-50: #F2F9FD;
  --color-100: #DCEFF9;
  --color-200: #BADEF2;
  --color-300: #8BC3E4;
  --color-400: #60A8D2;
  --color-500: #3E8BB7;
  --color-600: #366C8C;
  --color-700: #2C4F63;
  --color-800: #203541;
  --color-900: #152128;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  sky-blue: {
    50: '#F2F9FD',
    100: '#DCEFF9',
    200: '#BADEF2',
    300: '#8BC3E4',
    400: '#60A8D2',
    500: '#3E8BB7',
    600: '#366C8C',
    700: '#2C4F63',
    800: '#203541',
    900: '#152128',
  },
}

$base: #90CAEB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F9FD;
$base-100: #DCEFF9;
$base-200: #BADEF2;
$base-300: #8BC3E4;
$base-400: #60A8D2;
$base-500: #3E8BB7;
$base-600: #366C8C;
$base-700: #2C4F63;
$base-800: #203541;
$base-900: #152128;
$base-hover: #4FAADF;
$base-subtle: #E1EEF6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#90CAEB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F9FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCEFF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BADEF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8BC3E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#60A8D2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3E8BB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#366C8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C4F63",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203541",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152128",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}