RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, Cadet Blue is often linked to tranquility and professionalism, embodying a sense of reliability. Contrastingly, in some Asian cultures, blue can symbolize immortality and protection, adding depth to its interpretation.
The term 'cadet' refers to military trainees, and the color was first adopted in uniforms in the mid-19th century. Cadet Blue gained popularity in the United States after being officially recognized in the 1940s, becoming a staple in both military and civilian apparel.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Cadet Blue. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 45 Blues →Nine steps of Cadet Blue by lightness — from #315253 (darkest) to #ACCDCE (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Cadet Blue at 2° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Cadet Blue.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Cadet Blue anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on dark backgrounds; fails on light.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: cadetblue; color-mix(in srgb, cadetblue 70%, white) 182°, 41%, 63% 41, 1, 0, 37 6266528 #669999 How Cadet Blue appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.