Color #85BCBB Color / Colour Code #85BCBB
This page shows the hex color code for color #85bcbb (#85BCBB). The colour is a cyan tone with 29% saturation and 63% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #85BCBB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#85BCBB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 149, 179, and 209 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 179, 299, and 59 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #85BCBB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 179 and saturation at 29%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 179 to 224 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 179 with its complement at 359 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #85BCBB
Lightness variations at hue 179 and 29% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #85BCBB
Design Use Cases for #85BCBB
Muted Accent Color
With 29% saturation, #85BCBB has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 63% lightness, #85BCBB has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Clarity & Technology
#85BCBB is in the cyan spectrum (hue 179). Cyan evokes technology, clarity, and innovation. It works well for tech product interfaces, data visualization accents, loading indicators, and futuristic design themes. Cyan provides a modern alternative to traditional blues.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #85BCBB (hue 179) to its complement at hue 359. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 209. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #85bcbb, #bc8586);
CSS Code for #85BCBB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #85BCBB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #85BCBB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #85BCBB (#85BCBB)
#85BCBB is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 133 red, 188 green, and 187 blue. The green channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 179 degrees with 29% saturation and 63% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #85BCBB is 171/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 29% cyan, 0% magenta, 1% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #85BCBB against white is 2.12:1 and against black is 9.91:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 9.91:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #BC8586 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #85BCBB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #85BCA0 and #85A2BC, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #85BCBB
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #85BCBB?
- #85BCBB is Color #85BCBB, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(133, 188, 187), HSL(179, 29%, 63%), and CMYK(29%, 0%, 1%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 171/255.
- Is #85BCBB accessible for text?
- Against white, #85BCBB has a contrast ratio of 2.12:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 9.91:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #85BCBB?
- The complementary colour is #BC8586 (hue 359). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #85BCA0 and #85A2BC. The triadic palette adds #BB85BC and #BCBB85 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #85BCBB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #85bcbb; or rgb(133, 188, 187); or hsl(179, 29%, 63%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 179 29% 63%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.