Showa era
Benzol Green & Light Glaucous Blue
Plate 54 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Benzol Green, Light Glaucous Blue.
#a5c8d1
blue · 10 palettes
Light Glaucous Blue
About Light Glaucous Blue
Light Glaucous Blue is a light, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #a5c8d1 — that is
RGB 165, 200, 209, or HSL 192°, 32%, 73%.
It holds 11.8:1 contrast against dark, so Light Glaucous Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.8:1; on black 11.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Light Glaucous Blue appears in 10 combinations — most often paired with Benzol Green, Citrine and Dark Tyrian Blue.
Colours that go with Light Glaucous Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Light Glaucous Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#a5c8d1 #D1AEA5
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#a5c8d1 #A5D1C4 #A5B2D1
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#a5c8d1 #D1A5C8 #C8D1A5
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#a5c8d1 #D1A5B2 #D1C4A5
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Light Glaucous Blue
Light Glaucous Blue is a light, muted tone (HSL 192°, 32%, 73%), which makes it a soft background or a light accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (11.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#D1AEA5) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#A5D1C4 and #A5B2D1) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Light Glaucous Blue off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
See price on Amazon -
...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
See price on Amazon -
...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Listed on Amazon as Strathmore 300 Series Tape Bound Watercolor Pad, 140 lb. Cold Press, 11 X 15 inches, White, 12 Sheets (360-111)
See price on Amazon
Amazon Associates affiliate links — your price is unchanged and a small commission keeps the archive free. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Palettes with Light Glaucous Blue
Light Glaucous Blue appears in 10 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Light Glaucous Blue
- What is the hex code for Light Glaucous Blue?
- Light Glaucous Blue is #a5c8d1. It appears in 10 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Light Glaucous Blue look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Light Glaucous Blue (#a5c8d1) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.78:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 11.78:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Light Glaucous Blue come from?
- Light Glaucous Blue is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued blue pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Light Glaucous Blue in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#a5c8d1) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
- CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
See what's inside
Launching soon. The free archive stays free, always.