Sky Blue vs Baby Blue
Can you tell them apart?
#87CEEB
#89CFF0
Perceptual difference (ΔE): 2.3 — very similar.
Sky blue and baby blue are both light blues that occupy almost the same tonal neighbourhood, which is why they're frequently swapped without anyone noticing. Sky blue takes its name from a clear mid-morning sky: a natural, slightly variable pale blue with some grey in it. Baby blue, which emerged as a gendered nursery colour convention in the early 20th century, is typically a slightly softer, more chalky powder-blue — sometimes fractionally more saturated and more even than the atmospheric variation implied by sky. On screens the difference can be less than a few percentage points in saturation.
How to tell them apart
Sky blue has a slightly more natural, airy quality — like actually looking up through clean atmosphere. Baby blue is softer and more chalky, with a slight powdery evenness. If it looks like an outdoor scene, it's sky blue; if it looks like nursery wallpaper or a soft cotton blanket, it's baby blue.
Color values
| HEX | #87CEEB |
|---|---|
| RGB | 135, 206, 235 |
| HSL | 197°, 71%, 73% |
| CMYK | 43, 12, 0, 8 |
| HEX | #89CFF0 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 137, 207, 240 |
| HSL | 199°, 77%, 74% |
| CMYK | 43, 14, 0, 6 |
FAQ
- Is sky blue the same as baby blue?
- They're very similar. Sky blue is a natural atmospheric blue; baby blue is softer and more powdery — the two can be nearly indistinguishable on screen.
- Which is lighter, sky blue or baby blue?
- They're comparable in lightness, but baby blue tends to be slightly more muted and chalky.