#9BB0EA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.2% 0.087 268.9), rgb(155, 176, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.79:1).
About this color
#9BB0EA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.087 and its hue 269°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.79:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.087) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.79:1 |
| White text | 2.14:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BB0EA |
| RGB | rgb(155, 176, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(224, 65%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.2% 0.087 268.9) |
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 #9BB0EA | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc -46.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BB0EA | 9.79:1 | AAA | Lc 61.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BB0EA text on white | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc 42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BB0EA text on black | 9.79:1 | AAA | Lc -60.1 | 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
#F2F5FE
oklch(97% 0.012 271.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EAFB
oklch(93.7% 0.024 267.9)
-
Step 200
200
#CCD9FA
oklch(88.6% 0.048 268.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BB0EA
oklch(76.2% 0.087 268.9)
-
Step 400
400
#7D9BF7
oklch(70.6% 0.139 269)
-
Step 500
500
#5E7FF4
oklch(63.1% 0.178 269)
-
Step 600
600
#4765E2
oklch(55.6% 0.193 269)
-
Step 700
700
#3953C5
oklch(49.2% 0.18 269)
-
Step 800
800
#2F459F
oklch(42.8% 0.148 268.9)
-
Step 900
900
#293B7E
oklch(37.7% 0.115 269)
-
Step 950
950
#18234A
oklch(27% 0.074 269.2)
#9BB0EA 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) | #9DB5ED | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #96AEE9 | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #84BBC4 | 0.077 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.087 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BB0EA
#9BB0EA
oklch(76.2% 0.087 268.9)
- #C8AF70
#C8AF70
oklch(76.1% 0.087 88.6)
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 #9BB0EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.034
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.045
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.059
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.066
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.066
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.068
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.069
Use #9BB0EA 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.