#9BACEE
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.6% 0.097 272.8), rgb(155, 172, 238).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.52:1).
About this color
#9BACEE is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 273°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.037 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.52:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.52:1 |
| White text | 2.20:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BACEE |
| RGB | rgb(155, 172, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 71%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.6% 0.097 272.8) |
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 #9BACEE | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc -48.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BACEE | 9.52:1 | AAA | Lc 60.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BACEE text on white | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc 43.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BACEE text on black | 9.52:1 | AAA | Lc -58.8 | 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
#D1D8F0
oklch(88.4% 0.034 272.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B3BFE9
oklch(81% 0.061 272.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BACEE
oklch(75.6% 0.097 272.8)
-
Step 500
500
#7183D4
oklch(63.1% 0.124 272.9)
-
Step 600
600
#5A6BC1
oklch(55.6% 0.134 272.9)
-
Step 700
700
#4A59A7
oklch(49.1% 0.125 272.8)
-
Step 800
800
#3D4987
oklch(42.7% 0.103 273)
-
Step 900
900
#333E6C
oklch(37.8% 0.08 271.9)
-
Step 950
950
#1E243F
oklch(26.9% 0.051 273)
#9BACEE 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 | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #83B9C3 | 0.087 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AFAFAF | 0.097 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BACEE
#9BACEE
oklch(75.6% 0.097 272.8)
- #C5AF65
#C5AF65
oklch(75.7% 0.098 93.3)
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 #9BACEE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.037
- 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
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.075
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.076
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.078
Use #9BACEE 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.