#9BCAE4
Closest named color: Sky Blue (#87CEEB). oklch(81.5% 0.061 232.7), rgb(155, 202, 228).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.96:1).
About this color
#9BCAE4 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 233°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sky Blue (#87CEEB), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.96:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Sky Blue (#87CEEB) |
| Black text | 11.96:1 |
| White text | 1.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BCAE4 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 202, 228) |
| HSL | hsl(201, 57%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.5% 0.061 232.7) |
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 #9BCAE4 | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc -36.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BCAE4 | 11.96:1 | AAA | Lc 71.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BCAE4 text on white | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc 32.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BCAE4 text on black | 11.96:1 | AAA | Lc -70.6 | 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
#DFECF4
oklch(93.6% 0.018 234.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DEEC
oklch(88.6% 0.034 231.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BCAE4
oklch(81.5% 0.061 232.7)
-
Step 400
400
#5BABD4
oklch(70.7% 0.099 232.9)
-
Step 500
500
#1495C8
oklch(63% 0.125 232.6)
-
Step 600
600
#007DAB
oklch(55.5% 0.115 233.2)
-
Step 700
700
#006990
oklch(49% 0.101 232.9)
-
Step 800
800
#005677
oklch(42.6% 0.088 233.1)
-
Step 900
900
#004864
oklch(37.8% 0.078 232.8)
-
Step 950
950
#042A3B
oklch(26.9% 0.052 232.8)
#9BCAE4 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) | #BEC8E5 | 0.043 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3C0E4 | 0.037 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #83D1D2 | 0.045 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C3C3C3 | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BCAE4
#9BCAE4
oklch(81.5% 0.061 232.7)
- #E3B89E
#E3B89E
oklch(81.4% 0.061 52.8)
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 #9BCAE4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.022
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.026
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.027
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.027
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.038
Use #9BCAE4 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.