#9BC3EF
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(80.4% 0.076 251.2), rgb(155, 195, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.44:1).
About this color
#9BC3EF is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.076 and its hue 251°. 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 11.44:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.076) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.44:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC3EF |
| RGB | rgb(155, 195, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 72%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.4% 0.076 251.2) |
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 #9BC3EF | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC3EF | 11.44:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC3EF text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC3EF text on black | 11.44:1 | 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
#E0EBF9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 254.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DCF5
oklch(88.5% 0.042 250.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC3EF
oklch(80.4% 0.076 251.2)
-
Step 400
400
#64A5EA
oklch(70.7% 0.122 251.2)
-
Step 500
500
#338CE3
oklch(63% 0.155 251.4)
-
Step 600
600
#0075CE
oklch(55.7% 0.162 251.1)
-
Step 700
700
#0062AE
oklch(49.1% 0.143 251.1)
-
Step 800
800
#005090
oklch(42.7% 0.125 251.1)
-
Step 900
900
#0B4375
oklch(37.8% 0.101 251)
-
Step 950
950
#0A2744
oklch(26.8% 0.064 251.5)
#9BC3EF 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) | #B2C4F1 | 0.029 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A8BBEE | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #80CDD2 | 0.065 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.076 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC3EF
#9BC3EF
oklch(80.4% 0.076 251.2)
- #DEB789
#DEB789
oklch(80.3% 0.076 71)
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 #9BC3EF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.028
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.031
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.032
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.033
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.034
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.035
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.035
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.036
Use #9BC3EF 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.