Shades of blue

Shades of blue
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 colors are shown below.
Definitions of blue
Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)
The color defined as blue in the RGB color model, X11 blue, 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 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.
Blue (CMYK) (pigment blue)
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.
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 (Pantone)
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 (NCS) (psychological primary blue)
The color defined as blue in the NCS or Natural Color System is an azure-like color. 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.
NCS Blue can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen, as these spectral colors have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an variation of azure that is on the border of cyan.
Blue (Munsell)
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.
Munsell can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen, as these spectral colors have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, its blue is classified as an intermediate between azure and cyan.
Blue (Crayola)
Blue (Crayola) is the color called blue in Crayola crayons.
"Blue" was one of the original Crayola crayons formulated in 1903.
Crayola can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as a variation of azure that is on the border of blue.
Tints, shades, and variations of blue
The term tint and shade is used in its technical sense as used in color theory.
In this section, the term 'tint' usually refers to a blueish color mixed with white or light gray. 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.
Periwinkle
Periwinkle (also periwinkle blue or lavender blue) 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.
Ultramarine
Ultramarine is a blue pigment in use since medieval times. It was originally derived from lapis lazuli, a bright blue mineral.
Medium blue
The web color medium blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.
Savoy blue
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 its 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 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.
Liberty
Liberty is a strong blue color.
The first recorded use of liberty as a color name in English was in 1918.
Egyptian blue
Egyptian blue is a pigment that was used in Ancient Egypt.
Neon blue
Neon blue is a vivid purplish blue.
Dark blue
Dark blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.
Picotee blue
Picotee blue represents the color of the picotee flower. It is a deep shade of indigo, almost resembling St. Patrick's Blue.
Bluebonnet
Bluebonnet is a bright shade of blue with a slight violet tinge. It represents the color of bluebonnet flowers, which are part of the lupin family. The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.
Navy blue
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 sailors in the Royal Navy since 1748 (originally called marine blue before 1840) and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world.
The first recorded use of navy blue as a color name in English was in 1840.
Midnight blue
Midnight blue is an X11 web color. This color was originally called midnight. The first recorded use of midnight as a color name in English was in 1915.
Independence
Independence is a dark blue color.
The first recorded use of independence as a color name in English was in 1927.
Space cadet
Space cadet is one of the colors on the Resene Color List, a color list popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color "space cadet" was formulated in 2007.
Twin bed
Twin Bed is so named since its HEX color code spells out "BED" twice. The color is also recognized for bearing close semblance to the light pastel shade of cyan common on bed sheets.
International Klein Blue
International Klein Blue (IKB) is a deep blue hue first mixed by the French artist Yves Klein. IKB's visual impact comes from its heavy reliance on ultramarine, as well as Klein's often thick and textured application of paint to canvas. There is a legend that Klein patented the color, but in reality he simply submitted a Soleau envelope and never progressed to the patent stage.
Blurple (2015–2021)
Original Blurple is a brilliant purplish blue hue. It is the older version of Blurple, described below. It was used in the old Discord logo. Before 13 May 2021, it was simply called Blurple.
Blurple (2021–present)
Blurple is a vivid purplish blue hue. It is used in the new Discord logo.
Cool black
Cool black is a dark shade of blue. It is one of Pantone colors.
Process blue
Process blue is a Pantone-defined shade used by the football team the Carolina Panthers and is sometimes consequently called "Carolina blue" or "Panther blue".
Ambiguous variations of blue
In this section, shades fall outside the tertiary color range for blue, and many can be considered variations of cyan and azure, rather than blue.
Baby blue
Baby blue is known as one of the pastel colors.
The first recorded use of baby blue as a color name in English was in 1892.
Light blue
The web color light blue is part of the X11 color system, with a hue code of 194. Variations of this color are known as sky blue, baby blue, or angel blue.
The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in 1915.
Powder blue
Powder blue is a light bluish green.
The first recorded use of powder blue as a color name in English was in 1774. It is a web color.
Uranian blue
Uranian blue is a light greenish blue, the color of Uranus.
Neptune blue
Neptune blue is a darkish blue, the color of Neptune.
Argentinian blue
The web color Argentinian blue is a light azure color seen on the national flag of Argentina.
Ruddy blue
Ruddy blue represents the coloring of the beak of the ruddy duck.
Celtic blue
Celtic blue is a shade of blue, also known as glas celtig in Welsh, or gorm ceilteach in both the Irish language and in Scottish Gaelic. Julius Caesar reported (in Commentarii de Bello Gallico) that the Britanni used to colour their bodies blue with vitrum, a word that means primarily "glass", but also the domestic name for the "woad" (Isatis tinctoria), besides the Gaulish loanword glastum (from Proto-Celtic *glastos "green"). The connection seems to be that both glass and the woad are "water-like" (lat. vitrum is from Proto-Indo-European *wed-ro- "water-like").
Spanish blue
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.
Bleu de France
Bleu de France is a vivid blue color that has been associated in heraldry with the Kings of France since the 12th century.
Delft blue
Delft blue is a dark blue color.
The name is derived from the Dutch pottery Delftware, also known simply as "Delft Blue".
Duck blue
Duck blue is a moderate greenish blue.
Resolution blue
Resolution blue is a vivid blue color.
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 is a dark blue color, almost navy.
Moroccan Blue
Moroccan blue (also Chefchaouen blue) is a vivid blue color.
Sapphire
Sapphire is a deep shade of navy blue, based on the color of an average sapphire gemstone. However, sapphire gems can also be pink, yellow, or orange.
Fluorescent blue
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 blue
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.
Shades of azure
Azure is a variation of blue that is often described as the color of the sky on a clear day.
On the RGB color wheel, "azure" (hexadecimal #0080FF) is defined as the color at 210 degrees, i.e., the hue halfway between blue and cyan. In the RGB color model, used to create all the colors on a television or computer screen, azure is created by adding a little green light to blue light. The complementary color of azure is orange.
Azure (web color)
In the X11 color system which became a standard for early web colors, azure is depicted as a pale cyan or whitish cyan rather than a shade of azure.
In an artistic context, this color could also be called azure mist or cyan mist.
Variations of azure
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.
Alice blue
The web color Alice blue is a pale tint of azure.
Light sky blue
There is a web color of light sky blue.
Baby blue
Baby blue is known as one of the pastel colors.
This color is associated with baby boys in Western culture.
The first recorded use of baby blue as a color name in English was in 1892.
Sky blue
The first recorded use of sky blue as a color name in English was in 1728 in the Cyclopædia of Ephraim Chambers. Prior to the Chambers reference, the color had first been used in 1585 in a book by Nicolas de Nicolay where he stated "the tulbant of the merchant must be skie coloured".
Deep sky blue
Deep sky blue is an azure-cyan color associated with deep sky blue.
Deep sky blue (Capri) is a web color.
This color is on the color wheel (RGB/HSV color wheel) halfway between azure and cyan.
The traditional name for this color is Capri.
The first use of Capri as a color name in English was in 1920.
The color Capri in general is named for the azure-cyan color of the Mediterranean Sea around the island of Capri off Italy, the site of several villas belonging to the Roman Emperor Tiberius, including his imperial residence in his later years, the Villa Jovis. Specifically, the color Capri is named after the color of the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri as it appears on a bright sunny day. Today the island of Capri is a resort island popular with tourists.
The name deep sky blue for this color did not come into use until the promulgation of the X11 color list in 1987.
The name Capri is still used for this color as well as the name deep sky blue.
Cerulean
The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590.
The word is probably derived from the Latin word caeruleus, "dark blue, blue, or blue-green", which in turn probably derives from caelulum, diminutive of caelum, "heaven, sky".
Pale azure
Green-blue
Green-blue was a Crayola color from 1958 to 1990.
Maya blue
Maya blue was a pigment widely used by the Mayan civilization.
Jordy blue
The color name jordy blue dates back to at least 2001, and came into wider use when the Resene Paints colors were used as one of the sources for the Xona Games Color List.
Columbia blue
Columbia blue is a medium light tone of azure named after Columbia University. The typical Columbia blue is defined by Pantone Columbia Blue (PANTONE 290).
Picton blue
The color name Picton blue dates back to at least 2001, and came into wider use when the Resene Paints colors were used as one of the sources for the Xona Games Color List. Many of Resene's shades of blue and cyan are named after places in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds, where the town of Picton is located.
United Nations blue
The color United Nations blue resembles the shade of blue seen on the flag of the United Nations. Current branding guidelines (since 2020) use Pantone 2925. Previously, the flag used Pantone 279.
Cornflower blue
Cornflower blue is a shade of medium-to-light blue containing relatively little green. Its name is a reference to the flower Centaurea cyanus.
Bleu de France
Bleu de France is a color that has been associated in heraldry with the Kings of France since the 12th century.
Dodger blue
Dodger blue is a rich bright tone of azure named for its use in the uniform of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brandeis blue
Brandeis blue is the tone of azure used in association with Brandeis University.
The university administration defines Brandeis blue as corresponding to the Pantone color of 294 or the process color of 100c 86m 14y w24k.
True blue
The color true blue is a deep tone of azure that is the color of the uniforms of the sports teams of UCLA. It is also one of the shades of blue used by the Los Angeles Chargers though they use the name powder blue.
Tang blue
The color tang blue is a deep tone of azure that is the color of royal blue tang fish.
Puerto Rican Medium Blue
Puerto Rican Medium Blue is a bright, cool, saturated shade of blue matching the shade of color of the triangle on Puerto Rico’s current national flag. This color also matches the deeper blue shade of Mega Man’s uniform.
Royal blue (web color)
The web color royal blue is a rich tone of azure.
Celestial blue
The first recorded use of celestial blue as a color name in English was in 1535.
The source of this color is the Plochere Color System, a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by interior designers.
Vista blue
The source of vista blue is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #15-3930 TPX—Vista Blue.
Silver Lake blue
The source of Silver Lake blue is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #17-4030 TPX—Silver Lake Blue.
Tufts blue
Tufts blue is the tone of azure used in association with Tufts University.
Honolulu blue
Honolulu blue is the tone of azure used in association with the Detroit Lions football team.
Air Force blue
Air force blue, also known as RAF blue, is used by the Royal Air Force, the first air force to choose an "air force blue" color by which to identify itself, in 1920.
The color "air force blue" is a medium tone of azure since it has a hue code of 204 which is a hue code between 195 and 225, signifying a tone of azure.
Steel blue
Steel blue is a grayish tone of azure that resembles the color blue steel, i.e., steel which has been subjected to bluing in order to protect it from rust.
The first recorded use of steel blue as a color name in English was in 1817.
French blue
French blue is a deep azure color commonly used in quality men's dress shirts.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of French Blue in English was in The Times of 1802.
Lapis lazuli
The color lapis lazuli is displayed at left.
Lapis Lazuli is a color that is a representation of the most common color of lapis lazuli.
Royal blue (traditional)
The traditional color called royal blue is a dark shade of azure.
Light blue
The web color light blue is part of the X11 color system, with a hue code of 194. This color is closer to cyan than to blue. Variations of this color are known as sky blue, baby blue, or angel blue.
The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in the year 1915.
Baby blue
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.
Blue (NCS) (psychological primary blue)
The color defined as blue in the NCS or Natural Color System is an azure-like color. 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)
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.
Munsell can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen, as these spectral colors have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, its shade of blue is classified as an intermediate between azure and cyan.
Uranian blue
Uranian blue is a light greenish blue, the color of Uranus.
Spanish blue
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.
Argentinian blue
The web color Argentinian blue is a light azure color seen on the national flag of Argentina.
Berkeley blue
Berkeley Blue is one of the official colors of the University of California, Berkeley, along with California Gold. Until 2007, the university had used Yale Blue in its place, given Berkeley's historical ties to Yale University, particularly in its founding. Berkeley's school colors are the originators for those of all the campuses in the University of California system, of which Berkeley is the oldest as its flagship.
Blue (Crayola)
Blue (Crayola) is the color called blue in Crayola crayons.
"Blue" was one of the original Crayola crayons formulated in 1903.
Ruddy blue
Ruddy blue represents the coloring of the beak of the ruddy duck. It is a light shade of azure.
Celtic blue
Celtic blue is a shade of blue, also known as glas celtig in Welsh, or gorm ceilteach in both the Irish language and in Scottish Gaelic. Julius Caesar reported (in Commentarii de Bello Gallico) that the Britanni used to colour their bodies blue with vitrum, a word that means primarily "glass", but also the domestic name for the "woad" (Isatis tinctoria), besides the Gaulish loanword glastum (from Proto-Celtic *glastos "green"). The connection seems to be that both glass and the woad are "water-like" (lat. vitrum is from Proto-Indo-European *wed-ro- "water-like").
Polynesian blue
Polynesian blue is a dark blue color, almost navy.
Moroccan Blue
Moroccan blue (also Chefchaouen blue) is a vivid blue color.
Yale Blue
Yale Blue is the dark azure color used in association with Yale University. The hue of Yale Blue is one of the two official colors of Indiana State University, the University of Mississippi, and Southern Methodist University. The official color "DCU Blue" of Dublin City University is very close to Yale Blue.
Yale Blue was also an official color of University of California, Berkeley and Duke University.
Penn blue
Penn Blue is one of the official colors of the University of Pennsylvania, along with Penn Red. While the school colors were defined by 1910, university history points to earlier times when the colors may have been chosen, including a possible visit by George Washington to the University, where students used the color of his tunic to determine school colors or a track meet where Penn athletes declared that they would wear the colors "of the teams we beat," which would be those of both Harvard University and Yale University. Originally defined as the colors used on the American flag, the colors have since deviated.
Sapphire
Sapphire is a deep shade of navy blue, based on the color of an average sapphire gemstone. However, sapphires can also be pink, yellow, or orange.
Delft blue
Delft blue is a dark blue color. The name is derived from the Dutch pottery Delftware, also known simply as "Delft Blue".
Resolution blue
Resolution blue is a vivid blue color. The color name dates back to at least 2001, and came into wider use when the Resene Paints colors were used as one of the sources for the Xona Games Color List. Many of Resene's shades of blue and cyan are named after places in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds, where Resolution Bay is located.
See also
Lists of colors
RAL 5009 Azure blue
Cyan
References