Shades of blue

For other uses, see Shades of Blue (disambiguation).

"Shade of Blue" redirects here. For the song by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, see Take Them On, On Your Own.

Blue
Wavelength	440–490 nm
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000FF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(32, 131, 266°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Varieties of the color blue may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness), or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tint being a blue or other hue mixed with white, a shade being mixed with black. A large selection of these various colors is shown below.

Tints of blue

In this section, the term tint is used in its technical sense as used in color theory, meaning a blueish color mixed with white or light gray.

Baby blue

Main article: Baby blue

Baby blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#89CFF0
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(137, 207, 240)
HSV (h, s, v)	(199°, 43%, 94%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(80, 48, 227°)
Source	Maerz and Paul
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Baby blue is known as one of the pastel colors. With a hue code of 199, this color is a tone of azure.

The first recorded use of baby blue as a color name in English was in 1892.

Light blue

Main article: Light blue

Light blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#ADD8E6
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(173, 216, 230)
HSV (h, s, v)	(195°, 25%, 90%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(84, 28, 216°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The web color light blue is displayed in the color box at right. Variations of this color are known as sky blue, baby blue, or angel blue. Within the X11 color system, with a hue code of 194, this color is closer to cyan than to blue.

The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in the year 1915.

Periwinkle

Main article: Periwinkle (color)

Periwinkle
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#CCCCFF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(204, 204, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 20%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(84, 42, 266°)
Source	Maerz and Paul
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

A periwinkle flower

Shown in the right is the color periwinkle, or periwinkle blue. Another name for this color is lavender blue. The color is a mixture of white, blue, and red. It is named after the Periwinkle flower and is also commonly referred to as a tone of light blue.

Powder blue

Main article: Powder blue

Powder Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#B0E0E6
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(176, 224, 230)
HSV (h, s, v)	(187°, 23%, 90%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(86, 26, 202°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The web color powder blue is shown on the right.

The first recorded use of powder blue as a color name in English was in 1774.

Ice blue

Ice Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#99FFFF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(153, 255, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(180°, 40%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(94, 47, 192°)
Source	Corel
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Arctic iceberg showing blue coloring

Displayed at right is the color ice blue.

Morning blue

Morning Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#8da399
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(141, 163, 153)
HSV (h, s, v)	(153°, 13%, 64%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(65, 13, 155°)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Displayed at right is the color morning blue. It is a representation of the color of the morning sky.

The year the first recorded use of morning blue as a color name in English is unknown.

Early morning sky

Source of color: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Morning Blue (color sample #149)

Computer web color blue

Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)

Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000FF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(32, 131, 266°)
Source	X11 color names HTML/CSS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Red, green, and blue lights, representing the three basic additive primary colors of the RGB color system, red, green, and blue

The color defined as blue in the RGB color model, X11 blue, is shown at right. This color is the brightest possible blue that can be reproduced on a computer screen, and is the color named blue in X11. It is one of the three primary colors used in the RGB color space, along with red and green. The three additive primaries in the RGB color system are the three colors of light chosen such as to provide the maximum gamut of colors that are capable of being represented on a computer or television set.

This color is also called color wheel blue. It is at precisely 240 degrees on the HSV color wheel, also known as the RGB color wheel. It is a spectral color which lies at, or near, the short-wave (violet) end of the traditional "blue" and possibly was classified as "indigo" by Newton. Its complementary color is yellow.

Additional definitions of blue

Blue (CMYK) (pigment blue)

Blue (CMYK) (pigment blue)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#333399
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(51, 51, 153)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 67%, 60%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(28, 73, 266°)
Source	CMYK
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the three subtractive primary colors used in printing

The color defined as blue in the CMYK color system used in printing, also known as pigment blue, is the tone of blue that is achieved by mixing process (printer's) cyan and process (printer's) magenta in equal proportions. It is displayed at right.

The purpose of the CMYK color system is to provide the maximum possible gamut of color reproducible in printing by the use of only three primaries.

The color indicated is only approximate as the colors of printing inks may vary.

Blue (NCS) (psychological primary blue)

Blue (NCS)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0087BD
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 135, 189)
HSV (h, s, v)	(197°, 100%, 74%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(53, 65, 237°)
Source	sRGB approximation to NCS 2060-B
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Approximations within the sRGB gamut to the primary colors of the Natural Color System, a model based on the opponent process theory of color vision

The color defined as blue in the NCS or Natural Color System is an azure-like color shown at right (NCS 2060-B). The Natural Color System is a color system based on the four unique hues or psychological primary colors red, yellow, green, and blue. The NCS is based on the opponent process theory of vision.

The “Natural Color System” is widely used in Scandinavia.

Blue (Munsell)

Blue (Munsell)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0093AF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 147, 175)
HSV (h, s, v)	(190°, 100%, 69%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(56, 52, 220°)
Source	Munsell Color Wheel
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The hues of the Munsell color system, at varying values, and maximum chroma to stay in the sRGB gamut

The color defined as blue in the Munsell color system (Munsell 5B) is shown at right. The Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three color dimensions: hue, value (lightness), and chroma (color purity), spaced uniformly (according to the logarithmic scale which governs human perception) in three dimensions in the Munsell color solid, which is shaped like an elongated oval at an angle. In order for all the colors to be spaced uniformly, it was found necessary to use a color wheel with five primary colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

The Munsell color displayed is only approximate, as these spectral colors have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an intermediate between azure and cyan.

Blue (Pantone)

Blue (Pantone)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0018A8
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 24, 168)
HSV (h, s, v)	(231°, 100%, 66%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(22, 82, 265°)
Source	Pantone TPX
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Blue (Pantone) is the color that is called blue in Pantone.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color # Blue C, EC, HC, M, PC, U, or UP—Blue.

Blue (Crayola)

Blue (Crayola)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1F75FE
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(31, 117, 254)
HSV (h, s, v)	(217°, 88%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(52, 120, 258°)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Blue (Crayola) is the color called blue in Crayola crayons.

"Blue" was one of the original Crayola crayons formulated in 1903.

Uranian blue

Uranian Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#AFDBF5
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(175, 219, 245)
HSV (h, s, v)	(202°, 29%, 96%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(85, 35, 229°)
Source	Color-Hex
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Uranus with clouds

At right is displayed the color uranian blue of Uranus.

In this section, the term shade is used in its technical sense as used in color theory, meaning a blueish color mixed with black or dark gray. The colors arranged in order of their value (brightness) (V in the HSV code), the brighter colors toward the top and the darker colors toward the bottom.

Medium blue

Medium Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000CD
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 205)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 80%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(25, 101, 266°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Displayed at right is the web color medium blue. It is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.

Argentinian blue

Argentinian Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#6CB4EE
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(108, 180, 238)
HSV (h, s, v)	(207°, 55%, 93%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(71, 65, 241°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Flag of Argentina

Displayed at right is the web color Argentinian blue. It is a light azure color seen on the national flag of Argentina.

Ruddy blue

Ruddy Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#76ABDF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(118, 171, 223)
HSV (h, s, v)	(210°, 47%, 87%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(68, 56, 243°)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Ruddy duck (male)

Ruddy blue represents the coloring of the beak of the ruddy duck. It is a light shade of azure.

Savoy blue

Savoy blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4B61D1
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(75, 97, 209)
HSV (h, s, v)	(230°, 64%, 82%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(45, 94, 262°)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The Italy national football team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup

Savoy blue, or savoy azure, is a shade of saturation blue between peacock blue and periwinkle, lighter than peacock blue. It owes its name to the fact of being the color of the House of Savoy, a ruling dynasty in Italy from 1861 to 1946.

Having become a national color with the unification of Italy (1861), its use continued even after the birth of the Italian Republic (1946) with the name "Italian blue". An Italian-blue border was in fact inserted on the edge of the Presidential Standard of Italy and the use of the blue scarf for the Italian Armed Forces' officers, for the presidents of the Italian provinces during the official ceremonies and of the blue jersey for Italian national sports teams it was also maintained in the Republican era.

Spanish blue

Spanish Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0070BB
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 112, 187)
HSV (h, s, v)	(204°, 100%, 73%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(46, 76, 249°)
Source	Gallego and Sanz
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Spanish blue is the color that is called Azul (the Spanish word for "blue") in the Guía de coloraciones (Guide to colorations) by Rosa Gallego and Juan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005 that is widely popular in the Hispanophone realm. It is a shade of azure.

Liberty

Liberty
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#545AA7
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(84, 90, 167)
HSV (h, s, v)	(236°, 50%, 65%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(41, 64, 264°)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color liberty.

The first recorded use of liberty as a color name in English was in 1918.

The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Liberty (color sample #196)

Egyptian blue

Main article: Egyptian blue

Egyptian Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1034A6
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(16, 52, 166)
HSV (h, s, v)	(226°, 90%, 65%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(28, 82, 263°)
Source	Internet
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Egyptian blue is a pigment that was used in Ancient Egypt.

Ultramarine

Ultramarine
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4000FF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(64, 0, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(255°, 100%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(35, 133, 268°)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Main article: Ultramarine

Ultramarine pigment

Lapis lazuli, the source of the ultramarine pigment

Ultramarine is a blue pigment in use since medieval times. It was originally derived from lapis lazuli, a bright blue mineral.

Neon blue

Neon Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4D4DFF
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(77, 77, 255)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 70%, 100%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(44, 131, 266°)
Source	Html Css Color
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Displayed at right is the color neon blue.

Delft blue

Delft Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1F305E
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(31, 48, 94)
HSV (h, s, v)	(224°, 67%, 37%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(21, 35, 258°)
Source	[1]Derwent
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color delft blue. The name is derived from the Dutch pottery Delftware, also known simply as "Delft Blue".

Duck blue

Duck Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#007791
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 119, 145)
HSV (h, s, v)	(191°, 100%, 57%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(46, 44, 222°)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color duck blue.

The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Duck Blue (color sample #169)

Dark blue

Dark Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#00008B
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 139)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 55%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(15, 60, 266°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Dark blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.

Resolution blue

Resolution Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#002387
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 35, 135)
HSV (h, s, v)	(224°, 100%, 53%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(20, 64, 263°)
Source	Xona.com Color List
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color resolution blue.

This color name first came into use in 2001 when it was formulated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.

Polynesian blue

Polynesian Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#224C98
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(34, 76, 152)
HSV (h, s, v)	(219°, 78%, 60%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(34, 66, 257°)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Polynesian blue is a dark blue color, almost navy.

Navy blue

Main article: Navy blue

Navy Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000080
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 128)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 50%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(13, 52, 266°)
Source	HTML/CSS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Navy blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white) worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 (originally called marine blue before 1840) and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world.

A mannequin in US Navy uniform

The first recorded use of navy blue as a color name in English was in 1840.

Midnight blue

Main article: Midnight blue

Midnight Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#191970
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(25, 25, 112)
HSV (h, s, v)	(240°, 78%, 44%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(16, 49, 266°)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color midnight blue.

This is the X11 web color midnight blue.

This color was originally called midnight. The first recorded use of midnight as a color name in English was in 1915.

Sapphire

Main article: Sapphire (color)

Sapphire
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#082567
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(8, 37, 103)
HSV (h, s, v)	(222°, 92%, 40%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(17, 45, 260°)
Source	99Colors
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Sapphire gemstone

Displayed at right is the color sapphire. This deep shade of navy blue is based on the color of an average sapphire gemstone; however, sapphires can also be pink, yellow, or orange. Sapphire is the birthstone for those born in September.

Independence

Independence
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4C516D
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(76, 81, 109)
HSV (h, s, v)	(231°, 30%, 43%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(35, 23, 260°)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

At right is displayed the color independence.

The first recorded use of independence as a color name in English was in 1927.

The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Independence (color sample #204).

Space cadet

Main article: Cadet grey § Space cadet

Space Cadet
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1D2951
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(29, 41, 81)
HSV (h, s, v)	(226°, 64%, 32%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(18, 29, 259°)
Source	Resene
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Displayed at right is the color space cadet.

Space cadet is one of the colors on the Resene Color List, a color list widely popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color "space cadet" was formulated in 2007.

Fluorescent blue

Indian 50 rupee note, obverse

Indian 50 rupee note, reverse

Fluorescent blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#15F4EE
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(21, 244, 238)
HSV (h, s, v)	(178°, 91%, 96%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(87, 68, 188°)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Fluorescent blue is a shade of blue that is radiant based on fluorescence. This is the main color on the Indian 50-rupee note.

Teal

Main article: Teal

Teal
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#008080
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(0, 128, 128)
HSV (h, s, v)	(180°, 100%, 50%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(48, 38, 192°)
Source	HTML/CSS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Common teal duck (male)

Teal is displayed at right. It is a dark cyan color that is a representation of the color of the neck coloring of a duck called the common teal.

Teal blue

Teal blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#367588
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(54, 117, 136)
HSV (h, s, v)	(194°, 60%, 53%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)	(46, 34, 220°)
Source	Kelly, Kenneth L. and Judd, Deanne B. (December 1976) "Color: Universal Language and Dictionary of Names", National Bureau of Standards, Spec. Publ. 440
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Teal blue is a medium tone of teal with more blue. The first recorded use of teal blue as a color name in English was in 1927.

Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel

If the visible spectrum is wrapped to form a color wheel, blue (additive primary) appears midway between green and violet:

Visible spectrum wrapped to join cyan and magenta in an additive mixture of blue

See also

• List of colors
• Azure (color)
• Cyan