#96AAED
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.8% 0.1 271.1), rgb(150, 170, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.26:1).
About this color
#96AAED is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.100 and its hue 271°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.039 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.26:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.100) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.26:1 |
| White text | 2.26:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96AAED |
| RGB | rgb(150, 170, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(226, 71%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.8% 0.1 271.1) |
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 #96AAED | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc -49.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #96AAED | 9.26:1 | AAA | Lc 59.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #96AAED text on white | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc 44.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96AAED text on black | 9.26:1 | AAA | Lc -57.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F5FB
oklch(97% 0.008 271.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E5E9F6
oklch(93.5% 0.018 272.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D0D8F1
oklch(88.4% 0.035 271.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B1BFEA
oklch(80.8% 0.063 270.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#96AAED
oklch(74.8% 0.1 271.1)
-
Step 500
500
#6D83D6
oklch(63% 0.128 271.1)
-
Step 600
600
#566CC4
oklch(55.7% 0.138 270.8)
-
Step 700
700
#4759A9
oklch(49.1% 0.129 271.4)
-
Step 800
800
#3A4989
oklch(42.6% 0.107 271.3)
-
Step 900
900
#323E6D
oklch(37.7% 0.082 271.2)
-
Step 950
950
#1D2440
oklch(26.9% 0.053 271.8)
#96AAED 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) | #94B0F0 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8DA9EB | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7CB7C2 | 0.088 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.100 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96AAED
#96AAED
oklch(74.8% 0.1 271.1)
- #C5AB60
#C5AB60
oklch(74.8% 0.1 90.8)
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 #96AAED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.039
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.055
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.059
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.070
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.077
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.077
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.079
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.079
Use #96AAED 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.