#9BBAE9
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(78.3% 0.076 258.6), rgb(155, 186, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.59:1).
About this color
#9BBAE9 is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.076 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.59:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.076) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.59:1 |
| White text | 1.98:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BBAE9 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 186, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 64%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.3% 0.076 258.6) |
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 #9BBAE9 | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc -42.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BBAE9 | 10.59:1 | AAA | Lc 65.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BBAE9 text on white | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc 38.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BBAE9 text on black | 10.59:1 | AAA | Lc -64.1 | 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
#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)
#9BBAE9
oklch(78.3% 0.076 258.6)
-
Step 400
400
#71A1EB
oklch(70.6% 0.121 258.8)
-
Step 500
500
#4B88E5
oklch(63.1% 0.154 258.6)
-
Step 600
600
#2D70D3
oklch(55.7% 0.167 258.5)
-
Step 700
700
#1F5DB7
oklch(49.1% 0.156 258.5)
-
Step 800
800
#1C4C94
oklch(42.6% 0.129 258.7)
-
Step 900
900
#1D4076
oklch(37.6% 0.101 258.9)
-
Step 950
950
#122645
oklch(27% 0.064 258.9)
#9BBAE9 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) | #AABCEB | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1B5E8 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #83C4CA | 0.067 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.076 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BBAE9
#9BBAE9
oklch(78.3% 0.076 258.6)
- #D3B381
#D3B381
oklch(78.3% 0.076 78.4)
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 #9BBAE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.032
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.033
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.035
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.037
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.042
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.045
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.046
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.047
Use #9BBAE9 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.