#9BB9E7
Closest named color: Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4). oklch(78% 0.074 258.8), rgb(155, 185, 231).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.48:1).
About this color
#9BB9E7 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.074 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.074) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4) |
| Black text | 10.48:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BB9E7 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 185, 231) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 61%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78% 0.074 258.8) |
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 #9BB9E7 | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BB9E7 | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc 65.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BB9E7 text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BB9E7 text on black | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc -63.6 | 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
#F1F6FC
oklch(97.1% 0.01 252.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E1EBF9
oklch(93.7% 0.022 256.7)
-
Step 200
200
#C9DAF5
oklch(88.4% 0.042 259.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BB9E7
oklch(78% 0.074 258.8)
-
Step 400
400
#73A1EA
oklch(70.6% 0.119 259.3)
-
Step 500
500
#4D88E3
oklch(63% 0.151 258.8)
-
Step 600
600
#3070D1
oklch(55.6% 0.164 258.8)
-
Step 700
700
#225DB5
oklch(49.1% 0.152 258.7)
-
Step 800
800
#1E4C93
oklch(42.6% 0.127 259.1)
-
Step 900
900
#1E4075
oklch(37.6% 0.099 259)
-
Step 950
950
#122644
oklch(26.9% 0.062 258.3)
#9BB9E7 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) | #A9BBE9 | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1B4E6 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #84C3C8 | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.074 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BB9E7
#9BB9E7
oklch(78% 0.074 258.8)
- #D1B281
#D1B281
oklch(77.9% 0.074 78.7)
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 #9BB9E7, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.031
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.034
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.035
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.039
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.043
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.046
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.048
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.050
Use #9BB9E7 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.