#9BC5EC
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(80.7% 0.071 246.8), rgb(155, 197, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.59:1).
About this color
#9BC5EC is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.071 and its hue 247°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.59:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.071) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 11.59:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC5EC |
| RGB | rgb(155, 197, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(209, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.7% 0.071 246.8) |
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 #9BC5EC | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -37.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC5EC | 11.59:1 | AAA | Lc 70.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC5EC text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 33.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC5EC text on black | 11.59:1 | AAA | Lc -68.9 | 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
#DFECF7
oklch(93.7% 0.02 243.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DCF2
oklch(88.4% 0.039 247.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC5EC
oklch(80.7% 0.071 246.8)
-
Step 400
400
#62A7E4
oklch(70.8% 0.114 246.9)
-
Step 500
500
#2C8FDC
oklch(63.1% 0.146 246.9)
-
Step 600
600
#0078C3
oklch(55.7% 0.146 246.8)
-
Step 700
700
#0065A5
oklch(49.2% 0.128 246.7)
-
Step 800
800
#005288
oklch(42.7% 0.112 246.9)
-
Step 900
900
#064471
oklch(37.6% 0.096 247.4)
-
Step 950
950
#082842
oklch(26.9% 0.061 247.3)
#9BC5EC 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) | #B6C5EE | 0.034 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ABBDEB | 0.027 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #81CED2 | 0.059 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.071 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC5EC
#9BC5EC
oklch(80.7% 0.071 246.8)
- #E0B88F
#E0B88F
oklch(80.8% 0.071 67.2)
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 #9BC5EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.027
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.030
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.031
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.031
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.031
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.032
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.034
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.034
Use #9BC5EC 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.