#9BB9CE
Closest named color: Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4). oklch(77% 0.044 238.7), rgb(155, 185, 206).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.22:1).
About this color
#9BB9CE is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 239°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4), ΔE 0.011 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.22:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4) |
| Black text | 10.22:1 |
| White text | 2.05:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BB9CE |
| RGB | rgb(155, 185, 206) |
| HSL | hsl(205, 34%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.044 238.7) |
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 #9BB9CE | 2.05:1 | Fails | Lc -44.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BB9CE | 10.22:1 | AAA | Lc 63.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BB9CE text on white | 2.05:1 | Fails | Lc 40.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BB9CE text on black | 10.22:1 | AAA | Lc -62.3 | 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
#F2F6F9
oklch(97.1% 0.006 239.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EBF2
oklch(93.5% 0.014 241)
-
Step 200
200
#CBDCE8
oklch(88.5% 0.025 238.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BB9CE
oklch(77% 0.044 238.7)
-
Step 400
400
#77A7C8
oklch(70.6% 0.071 239.1)
-
Step 500
500
#5191BA
oklch(63.1% 0.09 238.6)
-
Step 600
600
#327BA7
oklch(55.7% 0.099 238.7)
-
Step 700
700
#24678F
oklch(49.1% 0.092 239.1)
-
Step 800
800
#205474
oklch(42.6% 0.076 239.2)
-
Step 900
900
#20465E
oklch(37.8% 0.06 238.8)
-
Step 950
950
#142937
oklch(27% 0.038 239.4)
#9BB9CE 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) | #B0B8CF | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9B2CE | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8CBEC0 | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B5B5B5 | 0.045 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BB9CE
#9BB9CE
oklch(77% 0.044 238.7)
- #CBAE99
#CBAE99
oklch(77.1% 0.045 57.9)
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 #9BB9CE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.011
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.022
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.030
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.036
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.045
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.054
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.057
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.058
Use #9BB9CE 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.