#9BC9DF
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(81.1% 0.057 228.8), rgb(155, 201, 223).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.81:1).
About this color
#9BC9DF is a light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.057 and its hue 229°. 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 11.81:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.057) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 11.81:1 |
| White text | 1.77:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BC9DF |
| RGB | rgb(155, 201, 223) |
| HSL | hsl(199, 52%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.1% 0.057 228.8) |
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 #9BC9DF | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc -36.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BC9DF | 11.81:1 | AAA | Lc 71.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BC9DF text on white | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc 32.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BC9DF text on black | 11.81:1 | AAA | Lc -70.0 | 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
#F0F7FA
oklch(97.2% 0.008 225.1)
-
Step 100
100
#DFECF3
oklch(93.5% 0.017 230.9)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DEEA
oklch(88.5% 0.032 227.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BC9DF
oklch(81.1% 0.057 228.8)
-
Step 400
400
#5EACCE
oklch(70.8% 0.092 228.4)
-
Step 500
500
#1D96C2
oklch(63.1% 0.118 229.1)
-
Step 600
600
#007EA6
oklch(55.5% 0.11 229.3)
-
Step 700
700
#006A8C
oklch(49% 0.097 229.1)
-
Step 800
800
#005773
oklch(42.7% 0.084 228.5)
-
Step 900
900
#004861
oklch(37.6% 0.075 229.8)
-
Step 950
950
#052B39
oklch(27.1% 0.048 227.7)
#9BC9DF 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) | #BEC7E0 | 0.043 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4BFDF | 0.038 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85CFD0 | 0.040 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C2C2C2 | 0.058 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BC9DF
#9BC9DF
oklch(81.1% 0.057 228.8)
- #E1B7A1
#E1B7A1
oklch(81.1% 0.057 49.1)
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 #9BC9DF, 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 0.025
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.027
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.034
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.035
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.040
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.045
Use #9BC9DF 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.