Shades of blue

Blue
Wavelength	440–490 nm
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000FF
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 255)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 100, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 100[1]%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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 various colors is shown below.

Tints of blue

In this section, the term tint is used in its technical sense as used in color theory, meaning a blueish color mixed with white or light gray.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#CCCCFF
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(204, 204, 255)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(20, 20, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 20%, 100%)
Source	Maerz & Paul
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Shown in the right is the color periwinkle, or periwinkle blue. Another name for this color is lavender blue. The color is a mixture of white and blue. It is named after the Periwinkle flower and is also commonly referred to as a tone of light blue.

Powder blue

Powder Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#B0E0E6
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(176, 224, 230)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(24, 3, 0, 10)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(187°, 23%, 90%)
Source	X11[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color powder blue is shown on the right.

The first recorded use of powder blue as a color name in English was in 1774.^[2]

Light blue

Light Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#ADD8E6
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(173, 216, 230)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(25, 6, 0, 10)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(195°, 25%, 90%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color light blue is displayed in the color box at right. Variations of this color are known as sky blue, baby blue, or angel blue. Within the X11 color system, with a hue code of 194, this color is closer to cyan than to blue.

The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in the year 1915.^[3]

Baby blue

Baby blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#89CFF0
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(137, 207, 240)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(43, 14, 0, 6)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(199°, 43%, 94%)
Source	Maerz and Paul[4]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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.^[5]

Computer web color blue

Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)

Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000FF
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 255)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(Not, possible, in, CMYK)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 100%)
Source	X11 color names[6] HTML/CSS[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color defined as blue in the RGB color model, X11 blue, is shown at right. This color 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 on 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 precisely 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.^[7] Its complementary color is yellow.

Additional definitions of blue

Blue (CMYK) (pigment blue)

Blue (CMYK) (Pigment Blue)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#333399
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(51, 51, 153)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(67, 67, 0, 40)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 67%, 60%)
Source	CMYK
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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. It is displayed at right.

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 (NCS) (psychological primary blue)

Blue (NCS)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0087BD
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 135, 189)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(197°, 100%, 74%)
Source	sRGB approximation to NCS 2060-B[8]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The color defined as blue in the NCS or Natural Color System is an azure-like color shown at right (NCS 2060-B). 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)

Blue (Munsell)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0093AF
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 147, 175)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 16, 0, 31)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(190°, 100%, 69%)
Source	Munsell Color Wheel
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color defined as blue in the Munsell color system (Munsell 5B) is shown at right. 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 in three dimensions in the elongated oval at an angle shaped Munsell color solid according to the logarithmic scale which governs human perception. 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.

The Munsell color displayed is only approximate as this spectral color have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an intermediate between azure and cyan.

Blue (Pantone)

Blue (Pantone)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0018A8
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 24, 168)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 80, 0, 34)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(231°, 100%, 66[9]%)
Source	Pantone TPX[10]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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.^[11]

Blue (Crayola)

Blue (Crayola)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1F75FE
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(31, 117, 254)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(88, 54, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(217°, 88%, 100[12]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Blue (Crayola) is the color called blue in Crayola crayons.

"Blue" was one of the original Crayola crayons formulated in 1903.

Shades of blue

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.

Medium blue

Medium Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0000CD
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 205)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 100, 0, 20)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 80%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color medium blue. It is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.

Spanish blue

Blue (G&S)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0070BB
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 112, 184)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 45, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(203°, 100%, 72%)
Source	Gallego and Sanz[13]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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.

Liberty

Liberty
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#545AA7
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(84, 90`, 167)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(50, 46, 0, 35)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(236°, 50%, 66[14]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS[15]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color liberty.

The first recorded use of liberty as a color name in English was in 1918.^[16]

The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Liberty (color sample #196)

Egyptian blue

Egyptian Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1034A6
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(16, 52, 166)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(90, 69, 0, 35)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(226°, 90%, 65%)
Source	Internet
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Egyptian blue is a pigment that was used in Ancient Egypt.

Ultramarine

Ultramarine
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#3F00FF
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(63, 0, 255)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(75.3, 100, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(254.8°, 1%, 1%)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Ultramarine is a blue pigment in use since medieval times.

Dark blue

Dark Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#00008B
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 139)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 100, 0, 46)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 55%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Dark blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue. The name comes from the word "Dark" (which originated from Old English dark, derk, deork; Anglo-Saxon dearc, and Gaelic and Irish dorch, dorcha) and "Blue" (taken from French and originated from the Indo-European root bhlewos).

Resolution blue

Resolution Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#002387
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 35, 185)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 74, 0, 47)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(224°, 100%, 53%)
Source	Xona.com Color List
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color resolution blue.

This color name first came into use in 2001 when it was formulated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.

Navy blue

Navy Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000080
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 128)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 100, 0, 50)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 100%, 50%)
Source	HTML/CSS[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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 officers in the British 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.^[17]

Catalina blue

Catalina Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#062A78
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(6, 42, 120)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(95, 65, 0, 53)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(221°, 95%, 47%)
Source	Xona.com Color List
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color Catalina blue.

This color name first came into use in 2001 when it was formulated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.

Midnight blue

Midnight Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#191970
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(25, 25, 112)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(97, 78, 39, 29)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 78%, 44%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color midnight blue.

This is the X11 web color midnight blue.

This color was originally called midnight. The first recorded use of midnight as a color name in English was in 1915.^[18]

Independence

Independence
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4C516D
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(76, 81, 109)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(30, 26, 0, 57)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(231°, 30%, 43[19]%)
Source	ISCC NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color independence.

The first recorded use of independence as a color name in English was in 1927.^[20]

The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Independence (color sample #204).

Space cadet

Space Cadet
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1D2951
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(29, 41, 81)
CMYKH   (c, m, y, k)	(64, 49, 0, 68)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(226°, 64%, 32[21]%)
Source	Resene
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color space cadet.

Space cadet is one of the colors on the Resene Color List, a color list widely popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color "space cadet" was formulated in 2007.

This color is apparently a formulation of an impression of the color that cadets in space navy training would wear.

Variations of blue in culture

Note: For blue in general in culture, please go to the main article on the color blue

Cartography

• In historical atlases published in Germany, light blue is traditionally used as a color to represent Germany, as opposed to pink for England and the British Empire, purple for France, and light green for Russia.^[22]

Fashion

• Dark clothing for males such as black, brown, or dark blue business suits have become much more popular since the mid-1990s, as opposed to the pastel colored business suits worn in the 1970s by major leaders in such institutions as the United States Congress (the vast difference in the clothing worn in the 1970s as opposed to the 2000s (decade) can be readily seen by looking at a videotape of the Watergate hearings).

Law Enforcement

• In many parts of the world, police wear dark blue uniforms.

Sexuality

• In Russian, the word for sky blue, голубой, can be used to mean a 'male homosexual'.^[23]
• In English, phrase "blue joke" means dirty joke (a joke intended for adults; see blue comedy).

Sociology

• In Western civilisation, those in the upper classes in high places of political or economic power often wear dark blue suits. Ordinary members of the working class (especially those who work in the computer industry) often refer derisively to these management functionaries as the suits.^[24] This terminology is also used in the television industry—the network executives are often referred to by the creative people (actors, directors, and screenwriters) as the suits.^[25]
• Dark blue or medium blue can also represent the working class. A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who typically performs manual labor and earns an hourly wage. Industrial and manual workers wear durable clothing that can be dirty, soiled, or even scrapped at work. A popular element of such clothes has been a light blue or navy blue work shirt and blue is also a popular color for work coveralls, the shirts and coveralls both typically made from denim.
• At the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames in London, dark blue is the color of the University of Oxford and light blue is the color of the University of Cambridge. Dark blue and light blue are also nicknames for students of these respective universities.^[26]

Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel

If the visible spectrum is wrapped to form a color wheel, magenta (additive primary) appears midway between green and violet:

Visible spectrum wrapped to join cyan and magenta in an additive mixture of blue

See also

• List of colors

References

Shades of blue Air Force blue Air superiority blue Alice blue Azure Baby blue Bleu de France Blue Blue-gray Bondi blue Brandeis blue                     Cambridge Blue Carolina blue Celeste Cerulean Cobalt blue Columbia blue Cornflower blue Cyan Dark blue Deep sky blue                     Denim Dodger blue Duke blue Egyptian blue Electric blue Eton blue Federal blue Glaucous Electric indigo Indigo                     International Klein Blue Iris Light blue Majorelle Blue Maya Blue Medium blue Midnight blue Navy blue Non-photo blue Oxford Blue                     Palatinate blue Periwinkle Persian blue Phthalo blue Powder blue Prussian blue Royal blue Sapphire Sky blue Steel blue                     Teal Tiffany Blue True Blue Tufts Blue Turquoise Navy Blue UCLA Blue Ultramarine Violet-Blue Viridian                     Yale Blue Zaffre     Related topics:Ao - St. Patrick's blue - Template:Shades of cyan

Color classifications Color Index Color systems, standards and palettes ANPA Color charts Color palettes (computer graphics) Colour Index International (CI list of dyes) Crayola Crayons Pencils DIC Federal Standard 595 HKS ISCC–NBS Munsell NCS Ostwald Pantone RAL list Web colors X11 Color names (alphabetic) List of colors: A–F List of colors: G–M List of colors: N–Z List of colors (compact) Variations of base colors Shades of white Shades of gray Shades of black Shades of red Shades of green Shades of blue Shades of cyan Shades of magenta Shades of yellow Shades of pink Shades of violet Shades of purple Shades of orange Shades of brown Category Portal

Color topics (Index) Red Orange Yellow Green Cyan Blue Violet Purple Magenta Pink Brown White Gray Black Color science Color physics Electromagnetic spectrum Light Rainbow Visible Spectral colors Chromophore Structural coloration Animal coloration On Vision and Colors Metamerism Spectral power distribution Color perception Color vision Color blindness test Tetrachromacy Color constancy Color term Color depth Color photography Spot color Color printing Web colors Color mapping Color code Color management Chrominance False color Chroma key Color balance Color cast Color temperature Color psychology Color symbolism Color preferences Lüscher color test Kruithof curve Political colour National colours Chromophobia Chromotherapy Color philosophy Color space Color model additive subtractive Color mixing Primary color Secondary color Tertiary color (intermediate) Quaternary color Quinary color Aggressive color (warm) Receding color (cool) Pastel colors Color gradient Color scheme Color tool Monochromatic colors Complementary colors Analogous colors Achromatic colors (Neutral) Polychromatic colors Impossible colors Light-on-dark Tinctures in heraldry Color theory Chromaticity diagram Color solid Color wheel Color triangle Color analysis (art) Color realism (art style) Color terms Basic terms Red Green Yellow Blue Orange Purple Pink Brown Black Gray White Cultural differences Linguistic relativity and the color naming debate Distinction of blue and green in various languages Color history Color in Chinese culture Traditional colors of Japan Human skin color Color dimensions Hue Dichromatism Colorfulness (chroma and saturation) Tints and shades Lightness (tone and value) Grayscale Color organizations Pantone Color Marketing Group The Color Association of the United States International Colour Authority International Commission on Illumination (CIE) International Color Consortium International Colour Association Lists List of colors: A–F List of colors: G–M List of colors: N–Z List of colors (compact) List of color palettes List of color spaces List of Crayola crayon colors marker colors pencil colors Color chart List of fictional colors Related Vision Image processing Multi-primary color display Quattron Qualia Lighting Local color (visual art) Category Portal