#9AACEE
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.5% 0.097 272.2), rgb(154, 172, 238).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.50:1).
About this color
#9AACEE is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 272°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.50:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.50:1 |
| White text | 2.20:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9AACEE |
| RGB | rgb(154, 172, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(227, 71%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.5% 0.097 272.2) |
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 #9AACEE | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc -48.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9AACEE | 9.50:1 | AAA | Lc 60.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9AACEE text on white | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc 43.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9AACEE text on black | 9.50:1 | AAA | Lc -58.7 | 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
#F3F5FB
oklch(97% 0.008 271.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E5E9F6
oklch(93.5% 0.018 272.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D1D8F0
oklch(88.4% 0.034 272.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B3BFE9
oklch(81% 0.061 272.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9AACEE
oklch(75.5% 0.097 272.2)
-
Step 500
500
#7083D5
oklch(63.1% 0.125 272.5)
-
Step 600
600
#596BC2
oklch(55.6% 0.136 272.5)
-
Step 700
700
#4959A7
oklch(49.1% 0.126 272.3)
-
Step 800
800
#3C4987
oklch(42.6% 0.104 272.4)
-
Step 900
900
#333E6C
oklch(37.8% 0.08 271.9)
-
Step 950
950
#1E2440
oklch(27% 0.053 273.2)
#9AACEE 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) | #97B2F1 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #90ABEC | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #81B9C3 | 0.088 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AEAEAE | 0.098 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9AACEE
#9AACEE
oklch(75.5% 0.097 272.2)
- #C6AE64
#C6AE64
oklch(75.6% 0.098 91.9)
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 #9AACEE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.036
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.052
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.061
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.066
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.072
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.076
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.076
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.078
Use #9AACEE 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.