#9BC3EE
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(80.4% 0.075 250.6), rgb(155, 195, 238).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.43:1).
About this color
#9BC3EE is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.075 and its hue 251°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.43:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.075) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.43:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC3EE |
| RGB | rgb(155, 195, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 71%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.4% 0.075 250.6) |
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 #9BC3EE | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC3EE | 11.43:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC3EE text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC3EE text on black | 11.43:1 | AAA | Lc -68.2 | 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
#E0EBF8
oklch(93.6% 0.021 252.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DCF4
oklch(88.5% 0.041 249.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC3EE
oklch(80.4% 0.075 250.6)
-
Step 400
400
#64A5E8
oklch(70.6% 0.119 250.5)
-
Step 500
500
#338DE2
oklch(63.2% 0.153 250.7)
-
Step 600
600
#0075CC
oklch(55.6% 0.16 250.6)
-
Step 700
700
#0062AD
oklch(49.1% 0.142 250.8)
-
Step 800
800
#00508F
oklch(42.6% 0.123 250.8)
-
Step 900
900
#0B4374
oklch(37.7% 0.1 250.6)
-
Step 950
950
#0A2844
oklch(27.1% 0.063 250.1)
#9BC3EE 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) | #B3C4F0 | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9BBED | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #80CDD1 | 0.065 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.075 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC3EE
#9BC3EE
oklch(80.4% 0.075 250.6)
- #DEB78A
#DEB78A
oklch(80.3% 0.075 70.5)
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 #9BC3EE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.030
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.030
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.032
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.033
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.034
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.034
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.036
Use #9BC3EE 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.