Celeste
A pale turquoise blue named for the sky in Italian and Spanish
Celeste is a light, cool blue with a hint of turquoise, recognised as the colour of a clear, sunny sky under ideal conditions. Its name comes from words for 'heavenly' or 'of the sky' in Italian and Spanish, and it is known for its association with Italian cycling and rare use in heraldry.
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- Celeste is a pale turquoise blue, close to white.
- The name comes from Italian and Spanish words for 'sky'.
- Bianchi bicycles are famously painted in celeste.
- Celeste is rarely used in heraldry as 'bleu celeste'.
- There are several recognised shades of celeste.
What colour is Celeste?
Celeste is a very pale blue-green, sitting between blue and cyan. It is cool and luminous, close to white, and is most often described as the colour seen in the sky under perfect, sunny conditions. The shade is subtle and can be hard to spot in nature, since it appears only when the air is clear and the sunlight is strong. Celeste is lighter than most blues and has a touch of green, giving it a turquoise quality.
Where does Celeste come from?
The word 'celeste' comes from the Latin 'caelestis', meaning 'heavenly'. In Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, it refers to the sky. The colour has been linked with Italian cycling, especially the Bianchi company, whose bicycles are painted in this shade. In English, it is sometimes called Italian sky blue or Bianchi Green. The Japanese language also has similar terms for this colour, such as 'sora iro' and 'mizuiro'.
How Celeste is defined
Celeste is defined as a colour value, not a pigment or dye. The purest form is given as HEX #B2FFFF (RGB 178,255,255), which is a mixture of blue and green light, with a high brightness. Another recognised version is HEX #99cbff (RGB 153,203,255), which contains more blue. These values are used in digital and print design to reproduce the shade.
Where Celeste is used
Celeste is most famously used by the Italian bicycle maker Bianchi, whose bikes are painted in this colour. It also appears in heraldry, though rarely, where it is called 'bleu celeste' or just 'celeste', and is shown as a lighter blue than the standard heraldic blue (azure). The colour is referenced in Japanese culture as well, with terms for similar sky shades.
Turquoise around the world
What the turquoise and cyan family means from country to country.
The old colour word qing covers green, blue and the shades between. In the five-element system it belongs to wood, the east and spring.
Nature and renewalCalmSource: Blue鈥揼reen distinction in languageTurquoise, firuzeh in Persian, has been mined near Nishapur for thousands of years. It is worn against the evil eye, and its colour covers the domes of mosques in Isfahan.
Protection and healingSacred and holyAweSource: TurquoiseIn the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary wears a blue-green cloak covered in stars. Turquoise was precious to the Aztecs, who used it in mosaic masks.
Sacred and holyAweSource: Our Lady of GuadalupeThe English word turquoise comes from the French for Turkish, because the stone reached Europe through Ottoman lands. Tiles from Iznik made the colour a mark of Ottoman mosques.
Royalty and powerSource: TurquoiseThe mosques and tombs of Samarkand are faced with turquoise and deep blue tiles. The three great madrasas of the Registan square and their ribbed turquoise domes are the best known.
Sacred and holyAweSource: RegistanShades and relatives of Celeste
Several versions of celeste exist, including 'celeste polvere', 'pallido', and 'velato', each slightly different in lightness or softness. Another common variant is a more blue-leaning celeste, HEX #99cbff, which is closer to a light blue. Celeste is sometimes confused with light sky blue or other pale blues, but it is distinct for its greenish tint and high brightness.
Colours that go with Celeste
Harmonies are worked out from the value #B2FFFF. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Celeste
What colour is celeste?
Celeste is a very light blue-green, close to turquoise and almost white in brightness. It is defined by the HEX code #B2FFFF.
Where does the name 'celeste' come from?
The name comes from the Latin 'caelestis', meaning 'heavenly', and is used in Italian and Spanish for the colour of the sky.
Is celeste used in any famous products?
Yes, the Italian bicycle company Bianchi is well known for using celeste as its signature colour.
Are there different shades of celeste?
Yes, there are several variants, including 'celeste polvere', 'pallido', and a more blue-toned version with HEX #99cbff.
Is celeste a common colour in heraldry?
No, celeste is rarely used in heraldry and is lighter than the standard blue, which is called azure.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Sky blue" (the section "Celeste"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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