Shades of azure

Azure (/ˈæʒər, ˈæz.jʊər/ AZH-ər, AZ-yoor)[2] is a variation of blue that is often described as the color of the sky on a clear day.

This article is about shades of the color azure. For the heraldic tincture, see Azure (heraldry). For other uses, see Azure.

Azure
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#007FFF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 127, 255)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 100%, 100%)
Source	On the RGB color wheel, Azure is defined as the colour halfway between blue and cyan. The colour halfway between blue and cyan on the RGB color wheel has a hex code of 007FFF.[1]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Azure pigment

On the RGB color wheel, "azure" (hexadecimal #007FFF) 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.

In the X11 color system which became a standard for early web colors, azure is depicted as a pale cyan or white cyan.

Distinction between indigo, azure and cyan

All of the colors shown below in the section variations of azure are referenced as having a hue code of between 195 and 225 (the hue code is the h code in the HSV color space), signifying that these colors are tones of azure. The only exception, as noted below, is the web color azure which, with a color code of 180, is actually a tone of cyan.

Strictly speaking, according to the mathematical logic of the RGB color wheel, indigo colors are those colors with hue codes of between 255 and 225, azure colors are those colors with hue codes of between 195 and 225, and cyan colors are those colors with hue codes of between 165 and 195.

Variations of azure

Azure (web color)

Azure (web color)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#F0FFFF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(240, 255, 255)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(6, 0, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(180°, 6%, 100%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Very pale green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color called azure; in actuality it is a pale pastel tint of cyan, as can be ascertained by noting its hue angle of 180 degrees (cyan).

In an artistic context, this color would be called azure mist.

Alice blue

Main article: Alice blue

Alice Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#F0F8FF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(240, 248, 255)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(6, 2, 1, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(208°, 6%, 100%)
Source	X11[3]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Greenish white
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color Alice blue is a pale tint of azure.

Light sky blue

Light Sky Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#87CEFA
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(135, 206, 250)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(46, 18, 0, 2)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(203°, 46%, 98%)
Source	X11 color names
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Brilliant greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color light sky blue.

Baby blue

Main article: Baby blue

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

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.[5]

Sky blue

Main article: Sky blue

Sky Blue
Common connotations
boys, daylight, water, air, paleness
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#87CEEB
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(135, 206, 235)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(43, 12, 0, 8)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(197°, 43%, 92%)
Source	X11 color names
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Very light greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color sky blue.

Bright blue sky with white clouds

The first recorded use of sky blue as a color name in English was in 1728 in the Cyclopædia of Ephraim Chambers.[6] 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".[7][8]

Deep sky blue

Deep Sky Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#00BFFF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 191, 255)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 25, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(195°, 100%, 100%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Brilliant greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Deep sky blue is an azure-cyan color associated with deep sky blue.

Deep sky blue 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.[9]

The first use of Capri as a color name in English was in 1920.[10]

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[11] 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.

Blue Grotto waters showing their distinctive azure colour

The name Capri is still used for this color as well as the name deep sky blue.

Maya blue

Main article: Maya blue

Maya Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#73C2FB
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(115, 194, 251)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(54, 23, 0, 2)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(205°, 54%, 98%)
Source	^[Unsourced]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Maya blue was a pigment widely used by the Mayan civilization.

Jordy blue

Jordy Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#8AB9F1
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(138, 185, 241)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(43, 23, 0, 6)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(213°, 40%, 74%)
Source	Xona.com Color List
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color jordy blue.

The color name jordy blue has been in use since 2001, when this color was promulgated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.

Columbia blue

Main article: Columbia blue

Columbia Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#B9D9EB
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(185, 217, 235)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(23, 0, 1, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(202°, 21%, 92%)
Source	Columbia University[12]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Very light greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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).[13]

Picton blue

Picton Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#45B1E8
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(69, 177, 232)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(70, 24, 0, 9)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(200°, 70%, 91%)
Source	Xona.com Color List
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Brilliant greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color 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.[14]

United Nations blue

United Nations Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4B92DB
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(75, 146, 219)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(65, 33, 0, 14)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 66%, 86%)
Source	Vexillological
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color United Nations blue.

Flag of the United Nations

The color resembles the shade of blue seen on the flag of the United Nations.

Cornflower blue

Main article: Cornflower blue

Cornflower Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#6495ED
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(100, 149, 237)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(59, 37, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(219°, 58%, 93%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Brilliant blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Cornflowers

Cornflower blue ice cream

At right is displayed the web color cornflower blue.

Bleu de France

Main article: Bleu de France (colour)

Bleu de France
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#318CE7
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(49, 140, 231)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(79, 39, 0, 9)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 79%, 91%)
Source	Pourpre.com
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color bleu de France is displayed at right.

Bleu de France is a color that has been associated in heraldry with the Kings of France since the 12th century.

Dodger blue

Main article: Dodger blue

Dodger Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1E90FF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(30, 144, 255)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(88, 44, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 88%, 100%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color Dodger blue.

Brandeis blue

Brandeis Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0070FF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 112, 255)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 86, 14, 24)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(214°, 100%, 100%)
Source	Internet
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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.[15]

True blue

Main article: True Blue (color)

True Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#2D68C4
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(45, 104, 196)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(83, 54, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(217°, 77%, 76.9%)
Source	UCLA Athletics website
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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

Tang Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0059CF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 89, 207)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(214°, 100%, 81%)
Source	ColorHex
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Royal blue tang

The color tang blue is a deep tone of azure that is the color of royal blue tang fish.

Royal blue (web color)

Main article: Royal blue

Royal Blue (web color)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4169E1
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(65, 105, 225)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(71, 53, 0, 12)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(225°, 71%, 88%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color royal blue is a rich tone of azure.

Celestial blue

Celestial Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4997D0
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(73, 151, 208)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(65, 27, 0, 18)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(205°, 65%, 81%)
Source	Plochere
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color celestial blue.

The first recorded use of celestial blue as a color name in English was in 1535.[16]

The source of this color is the Plochere Color System, a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by interior designers.[17]

Vista blue

Vista Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#7C9ED9
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(124, 158, 217)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(43, 27, 0, 15)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(218°, 43%, 85[18]%)
Source	Pantone TPX[19]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color vista blue.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #15-3930 TPX—Vista Blue.[20]

Silver Lake blue

Silver Lake Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#5D89BA
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(93, 137, 186)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(50, 26, 0, 27)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(212°, 50%, 73%)
Source	Pantone TPX[21]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color Silver Lake blue.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #17-4030 TPX—Silver Lake Blue.[22]

Tufts blue

Main article: Tufts Blue

Tufts Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#3E8EDE
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(62, 142, 222)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(70, 30, 0, 0)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 70.7%, 87.1%)
Source
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Tufts blue is the tone of azure used in association with Tufts University.

Honolulu blue

Main article: Detroit Lions

Honolulu Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0076B6
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 118, 182)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 35, 0, 29)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(201°, 100%, 71%)
Source	[23]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Honolulu blue is the tone of azure used in association with the Detroit Lions football team.

Cerulean

Cerulean
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#007BA7
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 123, 167)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 26, 0, 35)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(196°, 100%, 65%)
Source	^[Unsourced]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Main article: Cerulean

The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590.[24]

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".[25]

Air Force blue

Main article: Air Force blue

Air Force Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#5D8AA8
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(93, 138, 168)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(45, 18, 0, 34)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(204°, 45%, 66%)
Source	Vexillological:[26]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color air force blue, also known as RAF blue. This is the tone of air force blue 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

Main article: Steel blue

Steel Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4682B4
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(70, 130, 180)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(61, 28, 0, 29)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(207°, 61%, 71%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

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.[27]

French blue

French Blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#0072BB
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 114, 187)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 39, 0, 27)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(203°, 100%, 73%)
Source	Maerz and Paul
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

French blue[28] 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.[29]

Lapis lazuli

Rough and polished Lapis lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#26619C
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(38, 97, 156)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(76, 38, 0, 39)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(210°, 76%, 61%)
Source	Pourpre.comnot specific enough to verify]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color lapis lazuli is displayed at left.

Slab of polished lapis lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a color that is a representation of the most common color of lapis lazuli.

Royal blue (traditional)

Main article: Royal blue

Royal blue (traditional)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#002366
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 35, 102)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(100, 66, 0, 60)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(219°, 100%, 40%)
Source	John C. Foster "Color names starting with ROSE through RUST" Texas Precancel Club
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Deep blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The traditional color called royal blue is a dark shade of azure.

References

1. On colour plate 33 (page 89) of the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color by Maerz and Paul, the colours on the right side of colour plate 33 from top to bottom represent the most highly saturated colours on the color wheel from cyan to azure, and the colours on the bottom of colour plate 33 from right to left represent the most highly saturated colours on the colour wheel from azure to blue. The colour sample that represents azure is colour sample L12 on Plate 33 on Page 89. See reference to Azure on Page 190 in the index. See also discussion of the color azure, Page 149.
2. Oxford Dictionary Online, Oxford US Dictionary
3. W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, SVG color keywords
4. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called baby blue in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color baby blue is displayed on page 93, Plate 35, Color Sample E2.
5. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190; Color Sample of Baby Blue: Page 93 Plate 35 Color Sample E2
6. "sky-blue, n. and adj". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
7. "sky-coloured | sky-colored, adj". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
8. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 204; Color Sample of Sky Blue: Page 89 Plate 33 Color Sample E6
9. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Color Sample of Capri: Page 93 Plate 35 Color Sample L7; The color Capri is shown as lying halfway between Cyan and Azure.
10. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 191
11. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 152 Discussion of the color Capri
12. "Colors | Identity Guidelines". Retrieved 9 August 2018.
13. "Colors | Identity Guidelines". Retrieved 9 August 2018.
14. Doucette, Matthew. "Color List". Xona Games, Inc. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
15. "Brandeis University Identity Manual" (PDF). brandeis.edu. 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
16. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample of Celestial blue: Page 93 Plate 35 Color Sample D3
17. Plochere Color System: Archived 21 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
18. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #7C9ED9 (Vista Blue):
19. Type the words "Vista Blue" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear.
20. Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder—Type the words "Vista Blue" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear:
21. Type the words "Silver Lake Blue" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear.
22. Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder—Type the words "Silver Lake Blue" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear:
23. Detroit Lions Media Room
24. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190; Color Sample of Cerulean: Page 89 Plate 33 Color Sample E6
25. "cerulean | Search Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
26. History of the RAF, Chapter 7 – Cultural & Organizational Heritage, p. 370
27. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 205
28. Color Sample of French Blue on ISCC-NBS color chart (color sample #178):
29. "French, adj. and n.". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. Retrieved 21 April 2011.