RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, cerulean symbolizes calmness and stability, often associated with peaceful environments. However, in some Eastern traditions, it reflects the vastness of the sky and the sea, representing freedom and exploration.
Cerulean was first documented in the 19th century, with its pigment being patented by the painter and chemist George Frederick Watts in 1860. The color became widely popular among artists and was prized for its vibrant hue and versatility in painting.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Cerulean. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 45 Blues →Nine steps of Cerulean by lightness — from #004057 (darkest) to #7ABAD1 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Cerulean at 16° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Cerulean.
Brands and institutions known for using Cerulean.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Cerulean anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.
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: #007BA7; color-mix(in srgb, #007BA7 70%, white) 196°, 100%, 65% 100, 26, 0, 35 31655 #006699 How Cerulean appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.