#9BBDEC
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(79% 0.077 256.6), rgb(155, 189, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.88:1).
About this color
#9BBDEC is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.077 and its hue 257°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.028 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.88:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.077) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.88:1 |
| White text | 1.92:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BBDEC |
| RGB | rgb(155, 189, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(215, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79% 0.077 256.6) |
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 #9BBDEC | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc -41.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BBDEC | 10.88:1 | AAA | Lc 67.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BBDEC text on white | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc 36.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BBDEC text on black | 10.88:1 | AAA | Lc -65.5 | 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
#C7DBF6
oklch(88.5% 0.043 255.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BBDEC
oklch(79% 0.077 256.6)
-
Step 400
400
#6DA2EC
oklch(70.6% 0.123 256.9)
-
Step 500
500
#4489E6
oklch(63.1% 0.157 256.7)
-
Step 600
600
#2171D4
oklch(55.6% 0.17 256.4)
-
Step 700
700
#135EB8
oklch(49.2% 0.158 256.5)
-
Step 800
800
#144D95
oklch(42.7% 0.132 256.7)
-
Step 900
900
#184177
oklch(37.8% 0.103 256.6)
-
Step 950
950
#0F2645
oklch(26.9% 0.065 256.6)
#9BBDEC 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) | #ACBFEE | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A3B7EB | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #82C7CD | 0.067 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.077 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BBDEC
#9BBDEC
oklch(79% 0.077 256.6)
- #D7B583
#D7B583
oklch(79.1% 0.077 76.9)
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 #9BBDEC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.028
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.034
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.038
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.040
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.040
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.041
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.041
Use #9BBDEC 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.