#9BAEE3
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(75.5% 0.08 269.2), rgb(155, 174, 227).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.55:1).
About this color
#9BAEE3 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.080 and its hue 269°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.043 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.55:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.080) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.55:1 |
| White text | 2.19:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BAEE3 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 174, 227) |
| HSL | hsl(224, 56%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.5% 0.08 269.2) |
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 #9BAEE3 | 2.19:1 | Fails | Lc -48.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BAEE3 | 9.55:1 | AAA | Lc 60.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BAEE3 text on white | 2.19:1 | Fails | Lc 43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BAEE3 text on black | 9.55:1 | AAA | Lc -59.0 | 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
#F3F5FA
oklch(97% 0.007 268.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EAF4
oklch(93.7% 0.014 268.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D9EC
oklch(88.6% 0.027 269.6)
-
Step 300
300
#B3C0E2
oklch(80.9% 0.05 268.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BAEE3
oklch(75.5% 0.08 269.2)
-
Step 500
500
#7086C7
oklch(63% 0.102 269.1)
-
Step 600
600
#596FB4
oklch(55.6% 0.111 269.2)
-
Step 700
700
#495D9B
oklch(49.2% 0.102 268.9)
-
Step 800
800
#3C4C7E
oklch(42.7% 0.086 269.1)
-
Step 900
900
#334065
oklch(37.8% 0.066 268.4)
-
Step 950
950
#1E253B
oklch(26.9% 0.042 269.9)
#9BAEE3 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) | #9DB2E5 | 0.011 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #97ACE2 | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #87B8C0 | 0.071 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AFAFAF | 0.080 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BAEE3
#9BAEE3
oklch(75.5% 0.08 269.2)
- #C4AE74
#C4AE74
oklch(75.6% 0.08 89.6)
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 #9BAEE3, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.050
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.054
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.058
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.066
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.068
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.069
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.070
Use #9BAEE3 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.