How Do You Mix Colors to Get Blue? | RGB, HEX & HSL Codes

Blue is a primary color in traditional paint mixing and in RGB light, so you cannot make a pure blue by mixing other basic colors in those systems. In printing, however, cyan and magenta can combine to produce blue.

Which Two Colors Make Blue?

The answer depends on what you are mixing. If you are mixing traditional paints, blue is normally treated as a primary color, so you start with blue rather than create it from other basic paints. In the CMYK printing system, cyan and magenta are combined to produce blue. On a digital screen, blue is already one of the three RGB primary colors.

Quick answer

Paint: Blue is a primary color RGB light: Blue is a primary color Printing: Cyan + Magenta → Blue

Which Colors Make Blue in Printing?

Printing uses a different color system. In CMYK printing, cyan and magenta are used together to produce blue. Changing the balance between the two inks changes the resulting color.

Cyan + Magenta → Blue

More cyan generally pushes the color toward a cooler, greener blue, while more magenta pushes it toward a warmer, more violet blue.

Which Colors Make Blue on a Screen?

Screens use the RGB color model, which combines red, green, and blue light. Blue is one of the three primary channels, so you do not create pure blue by mixing red and green light.

Pure digital blue is represented as #0000FF, or rgb(0, 0, 255). The red and green channels are set to 0 while the blue channel is at its maximum value.

Popular Blue Shades and Color Codes

Colour name	Hex code	RGB value	HSL value
Pure Blue	`#0000FF`	`rgb(0, 0, 255)`	`hsl(240, 100%, 50%)`
Navy Blue	`#000080`	`rgb(0, 0, 128)`	`hsl(240, 100%, 27%)`
Dark Blue	`#00008B`	`rgb(0, 0, 139)`	`hsl(240, 100%, 27%)`
Royal Blue	`#4169E1`	`rgb(65, 105, 225)`	`hsl(225, 73%, 57%)`
Sky Blue	`#87CEEB`	`rgb(135, 206, 235)`	`hsl(197, 71%, 73%)`
Light Blue	`#ADD8E6`	`rgb(173, 216, 230)`	`hsl(195, 53%, 79%)`
Ice Blue	`#F0F8FF`	`rgb(240, 248, 255)`	`hsl(208, 100%, 97%)`
Cornflower Blue	`#6495ED`	`rgb(100, 149, 237)`	`hsl(219, 79%, 66%)`
Dodger Blue	`#1E90FF`	`rgb(30, 144, 255)`	`hsl(210, 100%, 56%)`
Steel Blue	`#4682B4`	`rgb(70, 130, 180)`	`hsl(207, 44%, 49%)`
Midnight Blue	`#191970`	`rgb(25, 25, 112)`	`hsl(240, 64%, 27%)`
Cobalt Blue	`#0047AB`	`rgb(0, 71, 171)`	`hsl(215, 100%, 34%)`
Sapphire	`#0F52BA`	`rgb(15, 82, 186)`	`hsl(216, 85%, 39%)`
Teal	`#008080`	`rgb(0, 128, 128)`	`hsl(180, 100%, 25%)`
Cyan / Aqua	`#00FFFF`	`rgb(0, 255, 255)`	`hsl(180, 100%, 50%)`

Extended Blue Gradient Palette

Explore a smooth spectrum of blue shades ranging from deep navies down to bright cyan tints and ghost white blues.

Colour name	Hex code	RGB value	HSL value
Navy Blue	`#001f3f`	`rgb(0, 31, 63)`	`hsl(210, 100%, 12%)`
Dark Navy	`#003566`	`rgb(0, 53, 102)`	`hsl(209, 100%, 20%)`
Royal Blue	`#0353a4`	`rgb(3, 83, 164)`	`hsl(210, 96%, 33%)`
Cobalt Blue	`#006daa`	`rgb(0, 109, 170)`	`hsl(202, 100%, 33%)`
Ocean Blue	`#0096c7`	`rgb(0, 150, 199)`	`hsl(195, 100%, 39%)`
Sky Blue	`#00b4d8`	`rgb(0, 180, 216)`	`hsl(190, 100%, 42%)`
Light Blue	`#48cae4`	`rgb(72, 202, 228)`	`hsl(190, 74%, 59%)`
Pale Blue	`#90e0ef`	`rgb(144, 224, 239)`	`hsl(189, 75%, 75%)`
Ice Blue	`#ade8f4`	`rgb(173, 232, 244)`	`hsl(190, 76%, 82%)`
Frost Blue	`#caf0f8`	`rgb(202, 240, 248)`	`hsl(190, 77%, 88%)`
Mist Blue	`#e0f7fa`	`rgb(224, 247, 250)`	`hsl(187, 72%, 93%)`
Ghost White Blue	`#f0fbff`	`rgb(240, 251, 255)`	`hsl(196, 100%, 97%)`

Looking for an exhaustive list? Explore our complete guide to Different Shades of Blue Color featuring over 190 shades organized by family.

How to Make Different Shades of Blue

Once you have a blue, you can change its brightness, depth, or hue by adding small amounts of other colors. The exact result depends on the starting pigment or color system.

To make	Try adding	Effect
Light blue	White	Lightens the blue
Dark blue	Black or a darker blue	Deepens the color
Teal blue	A little green	Moves blue toward green
Blue-violet	A little red, magenta, or violet	Moves blue toward purple
Muted blue	A small amount of a neutral or complementary color	Reduces saturation

Using Blue Color Codes in Web Design

Blue stands as the standard for digital trust, usability, and visual clarity across web platforms. Sky and ice blues provide clean, scalable background spaces, while strong royal and slate blues ensure high-contrast legibility for primary navigation bars, body text, and corporate headers.

Related Color Palettes

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Looking for more colors and color tools? Browse all Color Tools for color codes, converters, shade references, and other color resources.

Blue Color Mixing FAQs

Can you make blue by mixing two colors?

In traditional paint mixing, blue is treated as a primary color, so you do not make a pure blue by mixing two other basic paints. In printing, cyan and magenta can be combined to produce blue.

What color combinations create blue paint?

There is no standard combination of two basic paints that produces a pure primary blue. Blue is normally used as a starting pigment in traditional RYB paint mixing.

Do cyan and magenta make blue?

Yes. Cyan and magenta are used together to produce blue in the CMYK color system used for printing. The exact blue depends on their amounts and the printing process.

Which colors produce light blue?

Start with blue and add white to create a lighter blue. Increasing the amount of white produces progressively paler blue shades.

Which colors produce dark blue?

Start with blue and add a small amount of black or another dark blue. Add dark colors gradually because they can quickly change the appearance of the mixture.

Blue RGB, HEX, and HSL Color Codes