#96AEE5
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.3% 0.084 266.2), rgb(150, 174, 229).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.48:1).
About this color
#96AEE5 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.084 and its hue 266°. 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 9.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.084) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.48:1 |
| White text | 2.21:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96AEE5 |
| RGB | rgb(150, 174, 229) |
| HSL | hsl(222, 60%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.3% 0.084 266.2) |
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 #96AEE5 | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc -48.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #96AEE5 | 9.48:1 | AAA | Lc 60.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #96AEE5 text on white | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc 43.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96AEE5 text on black | 9.48:1 | AAA | Lc -58.6 | 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
#F3F5FA
oklch(97% 0.007 268.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E5EAF4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D0D9ED
oklch(88.5% 0.029 266.4)
-
Step 300
300
#B1C1E4
oklch(81% 0.053 265.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#96AEE5
oklch(75.3% 0.084 266.2)
-
Step 500
500
#6B87CB
oklch(63.1% 0.108 266.3)
-
Step 600
600
#5370B8
oklch(55.6% 0.117 266.1)
-
Step 700
700
#445D9E
oklch(49% 0.109 266.6)
-
Step 800
800
#384C80
oklch(42.6% 0.09 266.7)
-
Step 900
900
#304067
oklch(37.7% 0.07 266.2)
-
Step 950
950
#1C263C
oklch(27.1% 0.044 265)
#96AEE5 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) | #9CB2E7 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #94ABE4 | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7EB9C1 | 0.075 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AEAEAE | 0.084 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96AEE5
#96AEE5
oklch(75.3% 0.084 266.2)
- #C6AC70
#C6AC70
oklch(75.3% 0.084 87)
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 #96AEE5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.039
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.055
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.060
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.069
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.070
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.071
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.072
Use #96AEE5 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.