Blue

#a8a4bd

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for blue, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

Blue sits in the blue band, mid and muted. A mid blue this balanced is a workhorse for corporate identity. It pairs with warm neutrals for balance, or with a brighter accent for contrast.

Blue color values

Every conversion for #a8a4bd, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#a8a4bd

RGB168, 164, 189

HSL250, 16%, 69%

HSV250, 13%, 74%

CMYK11%, 13%, 0%, 26%

Lab68.42, 6.4, -12.31

XYZ38.61, 38.55, 53.55

Decimal11052221

Web safe#9999cc

Pantone5295 C

Shades of blue

#9691af #847fa2 #726c94 #645e82 #56516f #47435c #39364a #2a2837 #1c1a24 #0e0d12

Tints of blue

#b0acc3 #b7b4c9 #bfbccf #c7c4d4 #cfccda #d6d4e0 #dedce6 #e6e5ec #ededf2 #f5f5f7

Colors that go with blue

Complementary#b9bda4 Analogous#a4adbd Analogous#b4a4bd Triadic#bda8a4 Triadic#a4bda8 Split complementary#bdb4a4 Split complementary#adbda4

Blue in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 11, 13, 0, 26.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #a8a4bd on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

11 13 0 26

Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

14 16 4 32

The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color converts to cmyk comfortably and should hold on press.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or readrgb vs cmyk for print andwhat the k in cmyk means.

Blue in css

Copy #a8a4bd straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #a8a4bd; }
.text { color: #a8a4bd; }
.border { border: 2px solid #a8a4bd; }

How blue looks on light and dark

Sample text on black

Sample text on white

Text on this color

Blue and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #a8a4bd against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #a8a4bd against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through ourcontrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Blue on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #a8a4bd sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Business card

Sticker

Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around blue? Pull matching colors from any photo with thecolor palette generator, or check a design for print with thergb to cmyk converter.

Turn blue into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #a8a4bd and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Arches Signature stripes Gem Shingles

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from blue, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

Here is how the numbers for #a8a4bd are worked out. Rgb, hsl, hsv, lab and xyz are derived through the usual sRGB conversion formulas. The coated and uncoated cmyk builds differ because uncoated stock absorbs more ink and gains dot, so the same color needs a heavier, slightly duller build on press. For Pantone we return the nearest reference by perceptual distance, which gets you close but is not a substitute for a physical swatch book.