#96B9EF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(78% 0.087 258.9), rgb(150, 185, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.48:1).
About this color
#96B9EF is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.087 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.087) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.48:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96B9EF |
| RGB | rgb(150, 185, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 74%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78% 0.087 258.9) |
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 #96B9EF | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #96B9EF | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc 65.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #96B9EF text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96B9EF text on black | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc -63.6 | 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
#E0EBFB
oklch(93.7% 0.025 257.6)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DBFA
oklch(88.6% 0.048 258)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#96B9EF
oklch(78% 0.087 258.9)
-
Step 400
400
#6AA1F6
oklch(70.8% 0.138 258.8)
-
Step 500
500
#4086F2
oklch(63% 0.177 259)
-
Step 600
600
#1D6DE1
oklch(55.6% 0.192 258.9)
-
Step 700
700
#0E5AC3
oklch(49.1% 0.178 258.9)
-
Step 800
800
#114A9E
oklch(42.7% 0.148 259.1)
-
Step 900
900
#163F7D
oklch(37.7% 0.115 258.9)
-
Step 950
950
#0E2549
oklch(26.8% 0.073 259.1)
#96B9EF 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) | #A6BCF1 | 0.022 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CB3EE | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #79C4CB | 0.076 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.087 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96B9EF
#96B9EF
oklch(78% 0.087 258.9)
- #D5B177
#D5B177
oklch(77.9% 0.086 78.9)
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 #96B9EF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.026
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.029
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.044
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.044
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.046
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.053
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.054
Use #96B9EF 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.