#96B5EA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.9% 0.084 261), rgb(150, 181, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.09:1).
About this color
#96B5EA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.084 and its hue 261°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.09:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.084) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.09:1 |
| White text | 2.08:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96B5EA |
| RGB | rgb(150, 181, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(218, 67%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.9% 0.084 261) |
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 #96B5EA | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc -45.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #96B5EA | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc 63.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #96B5EA text on white | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc 40.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96B5EA text on black | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc -61.7 | 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
#F1F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 256.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E1EAFB
oklch(93.5% 0.025 263.3)
-
Step 200
200
#C8DAF9
oklch(88.5% 0.047 261.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#96B5EA
oklch(76.9% 0.084 261)
-
Step 400
400
#70A0F4
oklch(70.8% 0.134 261)
-
Step 500
500
#4A85EF
oklch(63% 0.171 261.1)
-
Step 600
600
#2C6CDE
oklch(55.6% 0.186 260.9)
-
Step 700
700
#1F59C1
oklch(49% 0.174 261.1)
-
Step 800
800
#1C4A9C
oklch(42.8% 0.143 260.9)
-
Step 900
900
#1C3F7C
oklch(37.8% 0.111 260.6)
-
Step 950
950
#112548
oklch(26.9% 0.07 260.7)
#96B5EA 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) | #A3B8EC | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9AB0E9 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7CC0C7 | 0.074 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.084 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96B5EA
#96B5EA
oklch(76.9% 0.084 261)
- #D0AF76
#D0AF76
oklch(77% 0.084 80.7)
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 #96B5EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.030
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.039
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.047
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.053
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.056
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.057
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.060
Use #96B5EA 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.