#9BBAEC
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(78.4% 0.079 259.8), rgb(155, 186, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.62:1).
About this color
#9BBAEC is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.079 and its hue 260°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.62:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.079) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.62:1 |
| White text | 1.97:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BBAEC |
| RGB | rgb(155, 186, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.4% 0.079 259.8) |
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 #9BBAEC | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc -42.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BBAEC | 10.62:1 | AAA | Lc 65.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BBAEC text on white | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc 38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BBAEC text on black | 10.62:1 | AAA | Lc -64.3 | 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
#F1F6FD
oklch(97.1% 0.011 256.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E1EBFA
oklch(93.7% 0.023 258.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C8DAF7
oklch(88.4% 0.045 259.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BBAEC
oklch(78.4% 0.079 259.8)
-
Step 400
400
#71A1EF
oklch(70.8% 0.126 259.8)
-
Step 500
500
#4B87EA
oklch(63.2% 0.162 259.9)
-
Step 600
600
#2D6ED8
oklch(55.6% 0.176 259.9)
-
Step 700
700
#1F5BBC
oklch(49.1% 0.165 259.9)
-
Step 800
800
#1C4B98
oklch(42.7% 0.136 259.9)
-
Step 900
900
#1D3F79
oklch(37.6% 0.107 260.4)
-
Step 950
950
#122647
oklch(27.2% 0.067 259.9)
#9BBAEC 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) | #A9BDEE | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0B5EB | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #82C4CB | 0.069 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.079 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BBAEC
#9BBAEC
oklch(78.4% 0.079 259.8)
- #D4B37E
#D4B37E
oklch(78.3% 0.079 79)
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 #9BBAEC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.029
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.037
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.038
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.045
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.045
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.046
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.047
Use #9BBAEC 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.