Showa era
English Red & Cerulian Blue
Plate 1 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — English Red, Cerulian Blue.
#0093a5
blue · 8 palettes
Cerulian Blue
About Cerulian Blue
Cerulian Blue is a deep, vivid blue tone. Its hex value is #0093a5 — that is
RGB 0, 147, 165, or HSL 187°, 100%, 32%.
It holds 5.7:1 contrast against dark, so Cerulian Blue works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 3.7:1; on black 5.7:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Cerulian Blue appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with English Red, Vistoris Lake and Pale Lemon Yellow.
Colours that go with Cerulian Blue
From a standard colour wheel, Cerulian Blue anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#0093a5 #A51200
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#0093a5 #00A564 #0041A5
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#0093a5 #A50093 #93A500
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#0093a5 #A50041 #A56400
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Cerulian Blue
Cerulian Blue is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 187°, 100%, 32%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (5.7:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#A51200) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#00A564 and #0041A5) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Cerulian Blue
Cerulian Blue appears in 8 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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