#9BABEF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.5% 0.1 273.6), rgb(155, 171, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.46:1).
About this color
#9BABEF is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.100 and its hue 274°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.038 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.46:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.100) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.46:1 |
| White text | 2.21:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BABEF |
| RGB | rgb(155, 171, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(229, 72%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.5% 0.1 273.6) |
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 #9BABEF | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc -48.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BABEF | 9.46:1 | AAA | Lc 60.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BABEF text on white | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc 43.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BABEF text on black | 9.46:1 | AAA | Lc -58.5 | 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
#E6E9F6
oklch(93.6% 0.018 275.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D1D8F1
oklch(88.5% 0.035 273.2)
-
Step 300
300
#B3BEEA
oklch(80.8% 0.063 273.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BABEF
oklch(75.5% 0.1 273.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7182D6
oklch(63% 0.128 273.5)
-
Step 600
600
#5B6AC3
oklch(55.6% 0.138 273.9)
-
Step 700
700
#4B58A9
oklch(49.1% 0.129 273.8)
-
Step 800
800
#3D4889
oklch(42.6% 0.108 273.7)
-
Step 900
900
#343D6D
oklch(37.7% 0.083 273.8)
-
Step 950
950
#1E2440
oklch(27% 0.053 273.2)
#9BABEF 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) | #95B2F2 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8FABED | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #83B8C3 | 0.089 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AEAEAE | 0.100 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BABEF
#9BABEF
oklch(75.5% 0.1 273.6)
- #C4AE62
#C4AE62
oklch(75.3% 0.1 93.7)
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 #9BABEF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.038
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.054
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.058
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.069
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.075
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.076
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.076
- Pastel Purple #CAA0FF ΔE 0.076
Use #9BABEF 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.