Sky Color / Colour Code #ECF5F9
This page shows the hex color code for sky (#ECF5F9). The colour is a blue tone with 52% saturation and 95% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #ECF5F9 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#ECF5F9 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 168, 198, and 228 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 198, 318, and 78 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #ECF5F9
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 198 and saturation at 52%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 198 to 243 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 198 with its complement at 18 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 #ECF5F9
Lightness variations at hue 198 and 52% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #ECF5F9
Design Use Cases for #ECF5F9
Balanced UI Color
At 52% saturation, #ECF5F9 strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Near-White Background
At 95% lightness, #ECF5F9 is very close to white but carries a subtle blue tint. This is perfect for alternating row backgrounds in tables, subtle section differentiation, and adding warmth or coolness to an otherwise stark white design.
Trust & Professional Identity
#ECF5F9 sits in the blue range (hue 198). 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 #ECF5F9 (hue 198) to its complement at hue 18. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 228. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ecf5f9, #f9f0ec);
CSS Code for #ECF5F9
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #ECF5F9 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #ECF5F9 across image editing and color design tools.
About Sky (#ECF5F9)
#ECF5F9 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 236 red, 245 green, and 249 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 198 degrees with 52% saturation and 95% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #ECF5F9 is 243/255 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 5% cyan, 2% magenta, 0% yellow, and 2% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #ECF5F9 against white is 1.11:1 and against black is 19.00:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 19.00:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #F9F0EC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #ECF5F9. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #ECF9F6 and #ECEEF9, 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 #ECF5F9
- 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 #ECF5F9?
- #ECF5F9 is Sky, a blue color (colour) with RGB(236, 245, 249), HSL(198, 52%, 95%), and CMYK(5%, 2%, 0%, 2%). Its perceived brightness is 243/255.
- Is #ECF5F9 accessible for text?
- Against white, #ECF5F9 has a contrast ratio of 1.11:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 19.00:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #ECF5F9?
- The complementary colour is #F9F0EC (hue 18). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #ECF9F6 and #ECEEF9. The triadic palette adds #F9ECF5 and #F5F9EC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #ECF5F9 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #ecf5f9; or rgb(236, 245, 249); or hsl(198, 52%, 95%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 198 52% 95%; 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.