#90BAE9
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77.6% 0.081 251.7), rgb(144, 186, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.38:1).
About this color
#90BAE9 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.081 and its hue 252°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.033 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.38:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.081) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.38:1 |
| White text | 2.02:1 |
Values
| HEX | #90BAE9 |
| RGB | rgb(144, 186, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 67%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.6% 0.081 251.7) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #90BAE9 | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc -43.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #90BAE9 | 10.38:1 | AAA | Lc 64.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #90BAE9 text on white | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc 39.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #90BAE9 text on black | 10.38:1 | AAA | Lc -63.1 | Content text, not long reading |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F0F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 252.1)
-
Step 100
100
#DFEBFA
oklch(93.6% 0.024 254)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DCF7
oklch(88.5% 0.045 251.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#90BAE9
oklch(77.6% 0.081 251.7)
-
Step 400
400
#60A5EF
oklch(70.8% 0.13 251.6)
-
Step 500
500
#298CEA
oklch(63.2% 0.167 251.6)
-
Step 600
600
#0074CF
oklch(55.5% 0.165 251.7)
-
Step 700
700
#0061AF
oklch(49% 0.146 251.8)
-
Step 800
800
#005091
oklch(42.8% 0.126 251.5)
-
Step 900
900
#044278
oklch(37.6% 0.108 251.7)
-
Step 950
950
#072747
oklch(26.9% 0.07 252)
#90BAE9 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #A8BBEB | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9DB2E8 | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #72C5CA | 0.070 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B6B6B6 | 0.081 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #90BAE9
#90BAE9
oklch(77.6% 0.081 251.7)
- #D7AE7C
#D7AE7C
oklch(77.6% 0.081 71.7)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #90BAE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.035
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.036
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.039
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.039
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.044
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.050
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.052
Use #90BAE9 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.