#96BAFA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(78.7% 0.1 261.6), rgb(150, 186, 250).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.70:1).
About this color
#96BAFA is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.100 and its hue 262°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.017 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.70:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.100) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.70:1 |
| White text | 1.96:1 |
Values
| HEX | #96BAFA |
| RGB | rgb(150, 186, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(218, 91%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.7% 0.1 261.6) |
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 #96BAFA | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc -42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #96BAFA | 10.70:1 | AAA | Lc 66.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #96BAFA text on white | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc 37.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #96BAFA text on black | 10.70:1 | AAA | Lc -64.7 | 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
#F1F6FF
oklch(97.2% 0.013 262.4)
-
Step 100
100
#DFEAFE
oklch(93.5% 0.03 262.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DAFF
oklch(88.5% 0.056 261.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#96BAFA
oklch(78.7% 0.1 261.6)
-
Step 400
400
#6A9EFF
oklch(70.6% 0.153 261.9)
-
Step 500
500
#4082FF
oklch(63.1% 0.198 261.6)
-
Step 600
600
#1C66F2
oklch(55.6% 0.222 261.7)
-
Step 700
700
#0E54D3
oklch(49.2% 0.206 261.6)
-
Step 800
800
#1045AA
oklch(42.6% 0.171 261.8)
-
Step 900
900
#153C87
oklch(37.7% 0.133 261.8)
-
Step 950
950
#0D244F
oklch(27% 0.084 261.5)
#96BAFA 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) | #A3BEFD | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #99B5F9 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #74C7D0 | 0.088 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.100 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #96BAFA
#96BAFA
oklch(78.7% 0.1 261.6)
- #DAB36C
#DAB36C
oklch(78.6% 0.1 81.4)
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 #96BAFA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.017
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.021
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.045
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.046
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.054
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.057
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.058
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.059
Use #96BAFA 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.