Varieties of the color

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness), or

lightness Lightness is a visual perception of the luminance (L) of an object. It is often judged relative to a similarly lit object. In colorimetry and color appearance models, lightness is a prediction of how an illuminated color will appear to a stan ...

(or value, tone, or

brightness Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target. The perception is not linear to luminance, ...

), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called

tints and shades In color theory, a tint is a mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness, while a shade is a mixture with black, which increases darkness. Both processes affect the resulting color mixture's relative saturation. A tone is produc ...

, a tint being a blue or other hue mixed with white, a shade being mixed with black. A large selection of these colors is shown below.

Definitions of blue

Blue (RGB) (X11 blue)

The color defined as blue in the

RGB color model The RGB color model is an additive color model in which the red, green and blue primary colors of light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three ad ...

, X11 blue, is shown at right. This color is the brightest possible blue that can be reproduced on a computer screen, and is the color named blue in X11. It is one of the three

primary color A set of primary colors or primary colours (see spelling differences) consists of colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a ...

s used in the

RGB color space An RGB color space is any additive color space based on the RGB color model. An RGB color space is defined by chromaticity coordinates of the red, green, and blue additive primaries, the white point which is usually a standard illuminant, an ...

, along with red and

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

. The three additive primaries in the RGB color system are the three colors of

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 t ...

chosen such as to provide the maximum

gamut In color reproduction, including computer graphics and photography, the gamut, or color gamut , is a certain ''complete subset'' of colors. The most common usage refers to the subset of colors which can be accurately represented in a given circ ...

of colors that are capable of being represented on a

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...

television set A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...

. This color is also called color wheel blue. It is at 240 degrees on the HSV color wheel, also known as the RGB color wheel. It is a

spectral color A spectral color is a color that is evoked by '' monochromatic light'', i.e. either a single wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, or by a relatively narrow band of wavelengths (e.g. lasers). Every wavelength of visible light is perce ...

which lies at, or near, the short-wave (violet) end of the traditional "blue" and possibly was classified as "

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...

" by Newton. Its

complementary color Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out (lose hue) by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those t ...

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In th ...

Blue (CMYK) (pigment blue)

The color defined as ''blue'' in the

CMYK The CMYK color model (also known as process color, or four color) is a subtractive color model, based on the CMY color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. The abbreviation ''CMYK'' refers ...

color system used in

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

, also known as pigment blue, is the tone of blue that is achieved by mixing process (printer's)

cyan Cyan () is the color between green and blue on the visible spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength between 490 and 520 nm, between the wavelengths of green and blue. In the subtractive color system, or CMYK col ...

and process (printer's)

magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blu ...

in equal proportions. The purpose of the CMYK color system is to provide the maximum possible

of color reproducible in printing by the use of only three

primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

. The color indicated is only approximate as the colors of printing inks may vary.

Blue (Pantone)

Blue (Pantone) is the color that is called ''blue'' in

Pantone Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphi ...

. The source of this color is the "

Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color # Blue C, EC, HC, M, PC, U, or UP—Blue.

Blue (NCS) (psychological primary blue)

The color defined as ''blue'' in the NCS or

Natural Color System The Natural Color System (NCS) is a proprietary perceptual color model. It is based on the color opponency hypothesis of color vision, first proposed by German physiologist Ewald Hering. The current version of the NCS was developed by the ...

is an azure-like color shown at right (NCS 2060-B). The Natural Color System is a color system based on the four

unique hues Unique hue is a term used in certain theories of color vision, which implies that human perception distinguishes between "unique" (psychologically primary) and composite (mixed) hues. A unique hue is defined as a color which an observer perceiv ...

or psychological primary colors red, yellow, green, and blue. The NCS is based on the

opponent process The opponent process is a color theory that states that the human visual system interprets information about color by processing signals from photoreceptor cells in an antagonistic manner. The opponent-process theory suggests that there are thr ...

theory of vision. The “Natural Color System” is widely used in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

. ''NCS Blue'' can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen, as these

s have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an variation of azure that is on the border of

Blue (Munsell)

The color defined as ''blue'' in the

Munsell color system In colorimetry, the Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three properties of color: hue (basic color), chroma (color intensity), and value (lightness). It was created by Professor Albert H. Munsell in the firs ...

(Munsell 5B) is shown at right. The ''Munsell color system'' is a

color space A color space is a specific organization of colors. In combination with color profiling supported by various physical devices, it supports reproducible representations of colorwhether such representation entails an analog or a digital represen ...

that specifies

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

s based on three color dimensions: hue, value (

), and chroma (color purity), spaced uniformly (according to the

logarithmic scale A logarithmic scale (or log scale) is a way of displaying numerical data over a very wide range of values in a compact way—typically the largest numbers in the data are hundreds or even thousands of times larger than the smallest numbers. Such a ...

which governs human perception) in three dimensions in the Munsell color solid, which is shaped like an elongated oval at an angle. In order for all the colors to be spaced uniformly, it was found necessary to use a color wheel with five primary colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Munsell can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen, as these

s have been adjusted to fit into the sRGB gamut. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an intermediate between azure and

Blue (Crayola)

Blue (Crayola) is the color called ''blue'' in

Crayola Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing company specializing in art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered in Forks Township, Pennsylva ...

crayons. "Blue" was one of the original Crayola crayons formulated in 1903. Crayola can only be displayed approximately on a computer screen. In the 21st century, this hue is classified as an variation of azure that is on the border of

Tints, shades, and variations of blue

The term tint and shade is used in its technical sense as used in

color theory In the visual arts, color theory is the body of practical guidance for color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. Color terminology based on the color wheel and its geometry separates colors into primary color, seco ...

. In this section, the term 'tint' usually refers to a

ish color mixed with

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

or light

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compose ...

. The term shade is used in its technical sense as used in

, meaning a

ish color mixed with

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

or dark

. The colors arranged in order of their value (brightness) (V in the HSV code), the brighter colors toward the top and the darker colors toward the bottom.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle (also periwinkle blue or lavender blue) is a mixture of white, blue, and red. It is named after the Periwinkle flower and is also commonly referred to as a tone of light blue.

Ultramarine

Ultramarine is a blue

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...

in use since

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

times. It was originally derived from

lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mine ...

, a bright blue mineral.

Medium blue

The web color medium blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.

Savoy blue

Savoy blue, or savoy azure, is a shade of saturation

between peacock blue and periwinkle, lighter than peacock blue. It owes its name to its being the color of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, a ruling dynasty in Italy from 1861 to 1946. Italia82

Having become a national color with the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

(1861), its use continued even after the

birth of the Italian Republic An institutional referendum ( it, referendum istituzionale, or ) was held in Italy on 2 June 1946, Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1047 a key event of Italian contemporary history. Until 19 ...

(1946) with the name "Italian blue". An Italian-blue border was inserted on the edge of the Presidential Standard of Italy and the use of the blue scarf for the

Italian Armed Forces The Italian Armed Forces ( it, Forze armate italiane, ) encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and a ...

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

, for the presidents of the Italian provinces during the official ceremonies and of the blue jersey for Italian national sports teams it was also maintained in the Republican era.

Liberty

Liberty is a strong blue color. The first recorded use of ''liberty'' as a color name in English was in 1918.

Egyptian blue

Egyptian blue is a

that was used in Ancient Egypt.

Neon blue

Neon blue is a vivid purplish blue.

Dark blue

Dark blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue.

Picotee blue

Picotee blue represents the color of the picotee flower. It is a deep shade of

, almost resembling

St. Patrick's Blue St Patrick's blue is a name often mistakenly applied to several shades of blue associated with Ireland. The official colour of Ireland in heraldic terms is azure blue. The colour blue's association with Saint Patrick dates from the 1780s, when i ...

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet is a bright shade of blue with a slight violet tinge. It represents the color of bluebonnet flowers, which are part of the

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

family. The bluebonnet is the state flower of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Navy blue

Navy blue is a shade of the standard (h = 240°) blue. ''Navy blue'' got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white) worn by sailors in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

since 1748 (originally called ''marine blue'' before 1840) and subsequently adopted by other navies around the

world In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

. The first recorded use of ''navy blue'' as a color name in English was in 1840.

Midnight blue

Midnight blue is an ''X11 web color''. This color was originally called ''midnight''. The first recorded use of ''midnight'' as a color name in English was in 1915.

Independence

Independence is a dark blue color. The first recorded use of ''independence'' as a color name in English was in 1927.

Space cadet

Space cadet is one of the colors on the

Resene Color List Resene Paints LTD is a New Zealand paint and building materials manufacturer and retailer. Divisions Resene Paints LTD & Resene Paints Australia LTD Resene produces paint for New Zealand & Australian conditions from manufacturing facilities in ...

, a color list popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color "space cadet" was formulated in 2007.

International Klein Blue

International Klein Blue (IKB) is a deep

hue first mixed by the French

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

Yves Klein. IKB's visual impact comes from its heavy reliance on

ultramarine Ultramarine is a deep blue color pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. The name comes from the Latin ''ultramarinus'', literally 'beyond the sea', because the pigment was imported into Europe from mines in Afg ...

, as well as Klein's often thick and textured application of

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbag ...

. There is a legend that Klein patented the color, but in reality he simply submitted a Soleau envelope and never progressed to the patent stage.

Blurple (2015-2021)

Original Blurple is a brilliant purplish blue hue. It is the older version of Blurple, described below. It was used in the old

Discord Discord is a VoIP and instant messaging social platform. Users have the ability to communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called "servers".The developer documenta ...

logo. Before 13 May 2021, it was simply called Blurple.

Blurple (2021-Present)

Blurple is a vivid purplish blue hue. It is used in the new

logo.

Cool black

''Cool black'' is a dark shade of

. It is one of

colors.

Ambiguous variations of blue

In this section, shades fall outside the tertiary color range for blue, and many can be considered variations of cyan and azure, rather than blue.

Baby blue

Baby blue is known as one of the

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

colors. The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892.

Light blue

The web color light blue is part of the X11 color system, with a hue code of 194. Variations of this color are known as

sky blue Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' i ...

, baby blue, or angel blue. The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in 1915.

Powder blue

Powder blue is a light bluish green. The first recorded use of ''powder blue'' as a color name in English was in 1774. It is a web color.

Uranian blue

Uranian blue is a light greenish blue, the color of

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus ( Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars), grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter) and father of ...

Argentinian blue

The web color Argentinian blue is a light azure color seen on the national flag of Argentina.

Ruddy blue

Ruddy blue represents the coloring of the beak of the

ruddy duck The ruddy duck (''Oxyura jamaicensis'') is a duck from North America and one of the stiff-tailed ducks. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''oxus'', "sharp", and ''oura'', "tail", and ''jamaicensis'' is "from Jamaica". Taxonomy The r ...

Celtic blue

Celtic blue is a shade of blue, also known as ''glas celtig'' in Welsh, or ''gorm ceilteach'' in both the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

and in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

. Julius Caesar reported (in

Commentarii de Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it C ...

) that the Britanni used to colour their bodies blue with vitrum, a word that means primarily "glass", but also the domestic name for the "

woad ''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, Isatis, derives from ...

" (''Isatis tinctoria''), besides the

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

loanword ''glastum'' (from

Proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celt ...

*glastos "green"). The connection seems to be that both glass and the woad are "water-like" (lat. vitrum is from

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo ...

*wed-ro- "water-like").

Spanish blue

Spanish blue is the color that is called ''Azul'' (the Spanish word for "blue") in the ''Guía de coloraciones'' (''Guide to colorations'') by Rosa Gallego and Juan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005 that is widely popular in the

Hispanophone Hispanophone and Hispanic refers to anything relating to the Spanish language (the Hispanosphere). In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is th ...

realm.

Bleu de France

''Bleu de France'' is a vivid blue color that has been associated in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

with the

Kings of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...

since the 12th century.

Delft blue

Delft blue is a dark blue color. The name is derived from the Dutch pottery

Delftware Delftware or Delft pottery, also known as Delft Blue ( nl, Delfts blauw) or as delf, is a general term now used for Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, a form of faience. Most of it is blue and white pottery, and the city of Delft in the Netherlands ...

, also known simply as "Delft Blue".

Duck blue

Duck blue is a moderate greenish blue.

Resolution blue

Resolution blue is a vivid blue color. This color name first came into use in 2001 when it was formulated as one of the colors on th
Xona.com Color List

Polynesian blue

Polynesian blue is a dark blue color, almost navy.

Moroccan Blue

Moroccan blue (also Chefchaouen blue) is a vivid blue color.

Sapphire

Sapphire is a deep shade of navy blue, based on the color of an average

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

gemstone. However, sapphires can also be pink, yellow, or orange.

Fluorescent blue

Fluorescent blue is a shade of blue that is radiant based on

fluorescence Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...

. This is the main color on the Indian 50-rupee note.

Teal blue

Teal blue is a medium tone of teal with more blue. The first recorded use of ''teal blue'' as a color name in English was in 1927.Maerz, Aloys John and M. Rea Paul (1930) ''A Dictionary of Color'', New York, McGraw-Hill, p. 205; color sample of Teal Blue: p. 101 Plate 39 Color Sample L6

References

{{Color shades