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CSS Named Colors

Blue

blue · #0000FF

HEX

#0000FF

RGB

rgb(0, 0, 255)

CMYK

cmyk(100%, 100%, 0%, 0%)

HSL

hsl(240, 100%, 50%)

LAB

lab(32.3, 79.2, -107.9)

What is Blue?

Blue is the blue reference in the CSS Named Colors. Its sRGB value is #0000FF (rgb 0, 0, 255). It sits in the blue family. The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification — usable directly in CSS as keywords like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple'. See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Blue as a background.

Black text on this color

Sample text · 2.44 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

White text on this color

Sample text · 8.59 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

Shades, tints & tonal scale of Blue

An 11-step tonal scale derived from Blue (#0000FF). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.

Copied #EBEBFF

50

#EBEBFF

#EBEBFF

Copied #D6D6FF

100

#D6D6FF

#D6D6FF

Copied #ADADFF

200

#ADADFF

#ADADFF

Copied #8080FF

300

#8080FF

#8080FF

Copied #4040FF

400

#4040FF

#4040FF

Copied #0000FF

500

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #0000D9

600

#0000D9

#0000D9

Copied #0000A6

700

#0000A6

#0000A6

Copied #000073

800

#000073

#000073

Copied #000040

900

#000040

#000040

Copied #00001F

950

#00001F

#00001F

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Copied #6C6CFF

15%

#6C6CFF

Copied #9595FF

30%

#9595FF

Copied #B3B3FF

45%

#B3B3FF

Copied #CBCBFF

60%

#CBCBFF

Copied #E1E1FF

75%

#E1E1FF

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Copied #0000ED

15%

#0000ED

Copied #0000DA

30%

#0000DA

Copied #0000C4

45%

#0000C4

Copied #0000AA

60%

#0000AA

Copied #000089

75%

#000089

Color harmonies for Blue

Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Blue. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.

Complementary

180° opposite — strongest contrast

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #FFFF00

#FFFF00

#FFFF00

Triadic

Three colors 120° apart

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #FF0000

#FF0000

#FF0000

Copied #00FF00

#00FF00

#00FF00

Analogous

Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel

Copied #007FFF

#007FFF

#007FFF

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #7F00FF

#7F00FF

#7F00FF

Split-complementary

Base + two colors flanking its complement

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #FF8000

#FF8000

#FF8000

Copied #80FF00

#80FF00

#80FF00

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #FF00FF

#FF00FF

#FF00FF

Copied #FFFF00

#FFFF00

#FFFF00

Copied #00FF00

#00FF00

#00FF00

Square

Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart

Copied #0000FF

#0000FF

#0000FF

Copied #FF0080

#FF0080

#FF0080

Copied #FFFF00

#FFFF00

#FFFF00

Copied #00FF80

#00FF80

#00FF80

Blue in every color space

Full conversion of Blue across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.

HEX

#0000FF

RGB

rgb(0, 0, 255)

CMYK

cmyk(100%, 100%, 0%, 0%)

HSL

hsl(240, 100%, 50%)

HSV

hsv(240, 100%, 100%)

HWB

hwb(240 0% 0%)

CIE Lab

lab(32.3 79.2 -107.9)

OKLCH

oklch(45.2% 0.313 264.1)

XYZ (D65)

xyz(18.04, 7.22, 95.03)

Copy-ready code for Blue

Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.

CSS

color: #0000FF;
background-color: #0000FF;

CSS variable

:root {
  --color-blue: #0000FF;
}

Tailwind config

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  'blue': '#0000FF',
}

Sass

$color-blue: #0000FF;

Swift UIColor

UIColor(red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 1.000, alpha: 1.0)

Android XML

<color name="blue">#0000FF</color>

Closest match in every color system

The nearest Blue equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.

Closest in CSS Named Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.

Copied #354D73

RAL 5000

#354D73

Violet blue

Copied #1B5583

RAL 5019

#1B5583

Capri blue

Copied #063971

RAL 5017

#063971

Traffic blue

Copied #3E5F8A

RAL 5007

#3E5F8A

Brilliant blue

Copied #1D334A

RAL 5020

#1D334A

Ocean blue

Copied #49678D

RAL 5023

#49678D

Distant blue

FAQ about Blue

What is the HEX code for Blue?

Blue (blue) has the HEX code #0000FF. In RGB it is rgb(0, 0, 255), and in CMYK it is cmyk(100%, 100%, 0%, 0%).

What is the OKLCH value of Blue?

Blue converts to oklch(0.452 0.313 264.1). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.

Is Blue accessible for body text?

Used as a background, Blue has a contrast ratio of 2.44:1 with black text and 8.59:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use white text and verify in real UI context.

What is the closest Pantone to Blue?

The closest Pantone reference to Blue by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone Blue 072 C (#10069F). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.

What is the closest RAL color to Blue?

The closest RAL Classic reference to Blue by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 5000 (Violet blue, #354D73). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.

What is the complementary color of Blue?

The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Blue is #FFFF00. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.

Data provenance & source

CSS Named Colors (CSS Color Module Level 4)

The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification. Origin: VGA (16) + X11 (rest) + 'rebeccapurple'. Use as a reference for web color names that all browsers natively support. Names like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple' work as CSS values without any framework.

Source type
derived
Confidence
high
License
W3C permissive document license
Last reviewed
2026-05-24

Workflow tags

css
web-standard
named-keyword
blue

CSS named colors are sRGB digital values defined for browsers. For print, convert to a process-appropriate color and proof against substrate.

CSS Named Colors · Blue — #0000FF | PantoneTools