#c5dfec
a light, vivid blue · cool · closest name: Light Blue
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #c5dfec is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #c5dfec |
| RGB | rgb(197, 223, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(200, 51%, 85%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(17%, 6%, 0%, 8%) |
| LAB | lab(87.3 -5.9 -9.2) |
| LCH | lch(87.3 11.0 237.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.888 0.033 229.3) |
| Decimal | 12967916 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.773 0.875 0.925) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #c5dfec;
background-color: #c5dfec;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#c5dfec] bg-[#c5dfec]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #c5dfec;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.773, green: 0.875, blue: 0.925)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#c5dfec")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFC5DFEC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(236, 223, 197)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #c5dfec is pinned to step 200; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F4F8FA;
--brand-100: #EAF2F6;
--brand-200: #c5dfec;
--brand-300: #ABD0E3;
--brand-400: #80B9D5;
--brand-500: #56A2C8;
--brand-600: #3C8FB8;
--brand-700: #32779A;
--brand-800: #285F7B;
--brand-900: #21475A;
--brand-950: #142C38;
--brand: #c5dfec;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #c5dfec
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #c5dfec
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #ECD2C5 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #C5ECE5 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #C5CCEC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #ECC5CC | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #ECE5C5 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #ECC5DF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #DFECC5 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #E5C5EC | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#c5dfec text on a black background
contrast 15.14:1
#c5dfec text on a white background
contrast 1.39:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #c5dfec;
background-color: #c5dfec;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #c5dfec;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(197, 223, 236, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(197, 223, 236, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #c5dfec; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #c5dfec, #C5C5EC);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #c5dfec
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Light Blue (#add8e6) — ΔE2000 5.1 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#c5dfec in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#c5dfec, answered
What color is #c5dfec?
#c5dfec is a light vivid blue, closest to Light Blue (ΔE2000 5.1). It sits at 200° on the hue wheel with 51% saturation and 85% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #c5dfec?
rgb(197, 223, 236) — 197 red, 223 green and 236 blue out of 255, or 77.3% / 87.5% / 92.5% by channel.
Is #c5dfec a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.7070 and perceived brightness is 85%, so black text on it reaches 15.14:1.
Should I use black or white text on #c5dfec?
Black. It scores 15.14:1 against #c5dfec, versus 1.39:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #c5dfec?
#ECD2C5 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #ECC5CC and #ECE5C5, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #c5dfec?
For interface work: #F4F8FA as the surface, #C2DDEB for borders, #4B809B for secondary text, #9F382D as an accent and #1F4B60 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #C5ECE5 and #C5CCEC stays calm, while #ECD2C5 is the loudest partner.
What is #c5dfec in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(17%, 6%, 0%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #c5dfec warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 96 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #C5ECEB; nudged cooler, #C4D9ED.