#9BC9DC
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(81% 0.055 225.2), rgb(155, 201, 220).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.78:1).
About this color
#9BC9DC is a light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.055 and its hue 225°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.78:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.055) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 11.78:1 |
| White text | 1.78:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC9DC |
| RGB | rgb(155, 201, 220) |
| HSL | hsl(198, 48%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.055 225.2) |
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 #9BC9DC | 1.78:1 | Fails | Lc -36.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC9DC | 11.78:1 | AAA | Lc 71.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC9DC text on white | 1.78:1 | Fails | Lc 32.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC9DC text on black | 11.78:1 | AAA | Lc -69.8 | 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
#F0F7F9
oklch(97.1% 0.008 216.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DFECF2
oklch(93.5% 0.016 227)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DEE9
oklch(88.6% 0.031 226.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC9DC
oklch(81% 0.055 225.2)
-
Step 400
400
#5EACCA
oklch(70.6% 0.088 225.3)
-
Step 500
500
#1E97BD
oklch(63.1% 0.113 225.3)
-
Step 600
600
#007FA2
oklch(55.5% 0.106 225.7)
-
Step 700
700
#006B88
oklch(49.1% 0.093 224.9)
-
Step 800
800
#005870
oklch(42.8% 0.081 224.4)
-
Step 900
900
#00495E
oklch(37.7% 0.071 225)
-
Step 950
950
#052B38
oklch(27% 0.047 225.8)
#9BC9DC 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) | #BFC6DD | 0.045 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B5BFDC | 0.039 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86CFCF | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C2C2C2 | 0.055 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC9DC
#9BC9DC
oklch(81% 0.055 225.2)
- #E0B6A4
#E0B6A4
oklch(80.9% 0.055 44.4)
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 #9BC9DC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.022
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.025
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.027
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.028
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.034
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.036
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.043
- Light Blue #ADD8E6 ΔE 0.047
Use #9BC9DC 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.