#9BC5E2
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(80.3% 0.061 238.7), rgb(155, 197, 226).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.47:1).
About this color
#9BC5E2 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 239°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.015 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.47:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 11.47:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC5E2 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 197, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(205, 55%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.3% 0.061 238.7) |
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 #9BC5E2 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC5E2 | 11.47:1 | AAA | Lc 69.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC5E2 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC5E2 text on black | 11.47:1 | AAA | Lc -68.4 | 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
#F1F6FA
oklch(97.1% 0.008 241.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E0ECF5
oklch(93.7% 0.018 240)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DDED
oklch(88.5% 0.033 238.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC5E2
oklch(80.3% 0.061 238.7)
-
Step 400
400
#63A9D6
oklch(70.6% 0.097 238.4)
-
Step 500
500
#2E93CC
oklch(63.2% 0.124 238.6)
-
Step 600
600
#007CB3
oklch(55.7% 0.124 238.2)
-
Step 700
700
#006898
oklch(49.2% 0.11 238.7)
-
Step 800
800
#00557D
oklch(42.7% 0.096 238.5)
-
Step 900
900
#064767
oklch(37.8% 0.08 237.7)
-
Step 950
950
#092A3D
oklch(27.2% 0.051 238.4)
#9BC5E2 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) | #B8C4E3 | 0.036 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AFBCE2 | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85CCCE | 0.047 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC5E2
#9BC5E2
oklch(80.3% 0.061 238.7)
- #DDB698
#DDB698
oklch(80.3% 0.061 59.3)
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 #9BC5E2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.015
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.022
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.025
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.026
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.029
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.037
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.038
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.040
Use #9BC5E2 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.