Color #87CFEB Color / Colour Code #87CFEB
This page shows the hex color code for color #87cfeb (#87CFEB). The colour is a blue tone with 71% saturation and 73% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #87CFEB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#87CFEB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 167, 197, and 227 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 197, 317, and 77 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #87CFEB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 197 and saturation at 71%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 197 to 242 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 197 with its complement at 17 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 #87CFEB
Lightness variations at hue 197 and 71% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #87CFEB
Design Use Cases for #87CFEB
Vibrant Brand Color
#87CFEB has a strong 71% saturation that makes it ideal for brand identity elements. Use it for logos, primary call-to-action buttons, hero section accents, and marketing materials where visual impact matters. This saturation level is eye-catching without being harsh.
Light Background Tint
#87CFEB at 73% lightness creates a gentle tinted background. Use it for section backgrounds, alert banners, or card surfaces that need to stand out from a white page without strong contrast. It adds color personality while keeping the design light and open.
Trust & Professional Identity
#87CFEB sits in the blue range (hue 197). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #87CFEB (hue 197) to its complement at hue 17. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 227. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #87cfeb, #eba589);
CSS Code for #87CFEB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #87CFEB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #87CFEB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #87CFEB (#87CFEB)
#87CFEB is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 135 red, 207 green, and 235 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 197 degrees with 71% saturation and 73% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #87CFEB is 189/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This means it appears bright to the human eye and is best paired with dark text for readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 43% cyan, 12% magenta, 0% yellow, and 8% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #87CFEB against white is 1.73:1 and against black is 12.15:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 12.15:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #EBA589 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #87CFEB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #89EBD6 and #899EEB, 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 #87CFEB
- 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 #87CFEB?
- #87CFEB is Color #87CFEB, a blue color (colour) with RGB(135, 207, 235), HSL(197, 71%, 73%), and CMYK(43%, 12%, 0%, 8%). Its perceived brightness is 189/255.
- Is #87CFEB accessible for text?
- Against white, #87CFEB has a contrast ratio of 1.73:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 12.15:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #87CFEB?
- The complementary colour is #EBA589 (hue 17). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #89EBD6 and #899EEB. The triadic palette adds #EB89CF and #CFEB89 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #87CFEB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #87cfeb; or rgb(135, 207, 235); or hsl(197, 71%, 73%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 197 71% 73%; 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.