#9BCAE6
Closest named color: Sky Blue (#87CEEB). oklch(81.5% 0.063 234.7), rgb(155, 202, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.98:1).
About this color
#9BCAE6 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.063 and its hue 235°. 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 11.98:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.063) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Sky Blue (#87CEEB) |
| Black text | 11.98:1 |
| White text | 1.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BCAE6 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 202, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(202, 60%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.5% 0.063 234.7) |
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 #9BCAE6 | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc -35.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BCAE6 | 11.98:1 | AAA | Lc 71.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BCAE6 text on white | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc 32.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BCAE6 text on black | 11.98:1 | AAA | Lc -70.8 | 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
#F0F6FA
oklch(97% 0.008 236.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DFECF5
oklch(93.6% 0.018 237.8)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DEED
oklch(88.6% 0.035 233.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BCAE6
oklch(81.5% 0.063 234.7)
-
Step 400
400
#5BABD6
oklch(70.8% 0.101 234.2)
-
Step 500
500
#1494CC
oklch(63% 0.13 235.2)
-
Step 600
600
#007DAE
oklch(55.7% 0.118 234.9)
-
Step 700
700
#006993
oklch(49.2% 0.104 234.9)
-
Step 800
800
#005679
oklch(42.8% 0.09 234.7)
-
Step 900
900
#004765
oklch(37.6% 0.08 234.9)
-
Step 950
950
#042A3D
oklch(27% 0.054 235.8)
#9BCAE6 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) | #BDC8E7 | 0.042 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3C0E6 | 0.037 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #82D1D3 | 0.047 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.063 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BCAE6
#9BCAE6
oklch(81.5% 0.063 234.7)
- #E4B89C
#E4B89C
oklch(81.5% 0.064 54.1)
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 #9BCAE6, 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 0.027
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.028
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.028
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.032
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
Use #9BCAE6 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.