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Light Blue Color Codes: RGB and HEX

The standard light blue color code is HEX #ADD8E6, or RGB 173, 216, 230. See how it compares with related light blues and how to apply it in vector logo artwork.

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Contents
  1. The Short Answer: Light Blue Is #ADD8E6
  2. How the HEX and RGB Values Relate
  3. Light Blue Compared With Related Named Blues
  4. Using Light Blue in Vector Logo Artwork and Gradients
  5. Practical Caveats
  6. What This Overview Does Not Cover

The Short Answer: Light Blue Is #ADD8E6

If you need one code for light blue, the most widely recognized value is the CSS and web named color "lightblue". Its HEX code is #ADD8E6 and its RGB value is 173, 216, 230. Browsers, SVG renderers and most design tools that accept CSS color names treat "lightblue" and #ADD8E6 as the same color.

"Light blue" is not one universal color, though. Outside the CSS named-color list, the phrase describes a whole family of pale blues. A brand's light blue may be a custom value that matches none of the standard names. If you are matching an existing logo, take the exact value from that brand's official guidelines or from the source artwork rather than assuming #ADD8E6.

How the HEX and RGB Values Relate

A HEX code is RGB written in base 16. The six characters after the # are three pairs: red, green and blue. Each pair ranges from 00 to FF, which is 0 to 255 in decimal. For #ADD8E6, AD is 173, D8 is 216 and E6 is 230. That gives RGB 173, 216, 230. Both notations describe the same screen color, so use whichever one your tool asks for.

HEX:  #ADD8E6
RGB:  rgb(173, 216, 230)
CSS:  color: lightblue;

AD -> 173 (red)
D8 -> 216 (green)
E6 -> 230 (blue)

Several other standard CSS named colors are often called "light blue" in casual use. The table lists their documented HEX and RGB values so you can tell them apart. The descriptions in the last column are editorial judgments, not part of the standard.

Name | HEX | RGB | How it reads
lightblue | #ADD8E6 | 173, 216, 230 | Soft, slightly grayish pale blue
powderblue | #B0E0E6 | 176, 224, 230 | Close to lightblue, leans a little greener
skyblue | #87CEEB | 135, 206, 235 | Deeper and more saturated than lightblue
lightskyblue | #87CEFA | 135, 206, 250 | Similar to skyblue with a stronger blue channel
lightsteelblue | #B0C4DE | 176, 196, 222 | Muted, grayer, slightly violet-leaning
aliceblue | #F0F8FF | 240, 248, 255 | Nearly white with a faint blue tint

Using Light Blue in Vector Logo Artwork and Gradients

In vector formats such as SVG, a light blue fill or stroke is stored as a color value on the shape itself, so it stays exact at any size. Typing a HEX code into a design tool only gives you editable vector color if the artwork is made of real vector paths. A logo that is an embedded raster image inside an SVG, PDF or EPS file has its colors baked into pixels. You cannot recolor it by changing a fill value. A file extension alone does not tell you which kind of content you have. Open the file and check whether the shapes are selectable paths.

Light blue is a common gradient stop because it pairs smoothly with deeper blues or with white. In SVG, each stop of a gradient takes its own color value. The example below runs from the standard lightblue to lightskyblue:

<linearGradient id="lightBlueFade" x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="0">
  <stop offset="0" stop-color="#ADD8E6"/>
  <stop offset="1" stop-color="#87CEFA"/>
</linearGradient>

Practical Caveats

  • HEX and RGB are screen color models. Print usually needs CMYK or a spot color, and conversions from #ADD8E6 vary by color profile and printing process. Check any print value with your printer or the brand's guidelines rather than relying on a generic converter.
  • Light blue on a white background has low contrast. Test legibility before using it for small text or thin logo details, and plan an alternate version for light backgrounds.
  • Gradients that rely on a pale stop can lose their shape in single-color, embroidered or very small uses. A flat light blue or a solid dark version of the logo is a sensible fallback.
  • Finding a logo's light blue value, or being able to download the file, does not give you permission to modify the artwork or use the trademark. Fonts in the file may also carry their own license terms.

What This Overview Does Not Cover

No brand-specific evidence was supplied for this article. It does not list official light blue values for any particular company or logo, and it gives no verified CMYK or Pantone equivalents. The values above come from the standard CSS named-color definitions. For a specific brand, the authoritative source is that brand's own style guide or master artwork files.