Exploring the Color #85ACD0

#85ACD0 sits at 209° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 44% saturation and 67% lightness, it reads as a moderately saturated, light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 133, 172, 208 produces a 8.81:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #85ACD0 is a clear variant of CSS sky blue — about 43 units away from #87CEEB. Designers reach for azure hues at this saturation when the brief calls for a conversational, mid-energy register, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades