#96BAEA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(78% 0.079 255.8), rgb(150, 186, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.50:1).
About this color
#96BAEA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.079 and its hue 256°. 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 10.50:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.079) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.50:1 |
| White text | 1.99:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96BAEA |
| RGB | rgb(150, 186, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(214, 67%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78% 0.079 255.8) |
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 #96BAEA | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc -43.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #96BAEA | 10.50:1 | AAA | Lc 65.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #96BAEA text on white | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc 38.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96BAEA text on black | 10.50:1 | AAA | Lc -63.7 | 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
#E0EBF9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 254.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DBF7
oklch(88.5% 0.044 256.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#96BAEA
oklch(78% 0.079 255.8)
-
Step 400
400
#69A3EE
oklch(70.7% 0.126 255.4)
-
Step 500
500
#3E89E9
oklch(63% 0.163 256)
-
Step 600
600
#1671D7
oklch(55.6% 0.176 255.7)
-
Step 700
700
#045EBA
oklch(49.1% 0.163 255.6)
-
Step 800
800
#0B4D97
oklch(42.7% 0.136 255.8)
-
Step 900
900
#144178
oklch(37.7% 0.106 255.7)
-
Step 950
950
#0D2646
oklch(26.8% 0.067 255.9)
#96BAEA 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) | #A9BCEC | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FB4E9 | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7BC4CA | 0.069 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.079 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96BAEA
#96BAEA
oklch(78% 0.079 255.8)
- #D5B17E
#D5B17E
oklch(78% 0.079 75.8)
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 #96BAEA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.033
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.035
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.036
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.042
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.045
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.047
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.050
Use #96BAEA 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.