#9BCAE0
Closest named color: Sky Blue (#87CEEB). oklch(81.3% 0.058 228.3), rgb(155, 202, 224).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.91:1).
About this color
#9BCAE0 is a light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.058 and its hue 228°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sky Blue (#87CEEB), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.91:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.058) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Sky Blue (#87CEEB) |
| Black text | 11.91:1 |
| White text | 1.76:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BCAE0 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 202, 224) |
| HSL | hsl(199, 53%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.3% 0.058 228.3) |
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 #9BCAE0 | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc -36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BCAE0 | 11.91:1 | AAA | Lc 71.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BCAE0 text on white | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc 32.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BCAE0 text on black | 11.91:1 | AAA | Lc -70.4 | 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
#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)
#9BCAE0
oklch(81.3% 0.058 228.3)
-
Step 400
400
#5CACCE
oklch(70.7% 0.093 227.9)
-
Step 500
500
#1696C2
oklch(63% 0.119 228.6)
-
Step 600
600
#007FA5
oklch(55.7% 0.108 227.8)
-
Step 700
700
#006A8B
oklch(49% 0.096 228.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005773
oklch(42.7% 0.084 228.5)
-
Step 900
900
#004960
oklch(37.8% 0.073 227.3)
-
Step 950
950
#042B39
oklch(27.1% 0.049 227.2)
#9BCAE0 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) | #BFC8E1 | 0.044 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4C0E0 | 0.038 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85D0D1 | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C3C3C3 | 0.058 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BCAE0
#9BCAE0
oklch(81.3% 0.058 228.3)
- #E2B7A2
#E2B7A2
oklch(81.2% 0.058 47.4)
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 #9BCAE0, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.024
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.025
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.026
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.028
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.037
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.039
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.043
Use #9BCAE0 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.