#9BCBCE
Closest named color: Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9). oklch(80.9% 0.05 201), rgb(155, 203, 206).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.82:1).
About this color
#9BCBCE is a light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.050 and its hue 201°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.82:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.050) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Cornflower Blue (#98C1D9) |
| Black text | 11.82:1 |
| White text | 1.77:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BCBCE |
| RGB | rgb(155, 203, 206) |
| HSL | hsl(184, 34%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.9% 0.05 201) |
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 #9BCBCE | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc -36.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BCBCE | 11.82:1 | AAA | Lc 71.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BCBCE text on white | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc 32.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BCBCE text on black | 11.82:1 | 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
#F1F7F7
oklch(97.2% 0.006 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#DFEDEE
oklch(93.6% 0.015 202)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DFE1
oklch(88.5% 0.028 202.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BCBCE
oklch(80.9% 0.05 201)
-
Step 400
400
#5EB0B5
oklch(70.7% 0.08 200.7)
-
Step 500
500
#199CA3
oklch(63.2% 0.103 200.7)
-
Step 600
600
#00838A
oklch(55.5% 0.094 201.4)
-
Step 700
700
#006E74
oklch(49% 0.083 201.4)
-
Step 800
800
#005B5F
oklch(42.8% 0.073 200)
-
Step 900
900
#004B4F
oklch(37.5% 0.064 200.9)
-
Step 950
950
#052C2F
oklch(26.9% 0.042 202.6)
#9BCBCE 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) | #C4C7CE | 0.051 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BABFCE | 0.048 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8ACFCC | 0.021 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C2C2C2 | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BCBCE
#9BCBCE
oklch(80.9% 0.05 201)
- #E0B4B3
#E0B4B3
oklch(80.9% 0.051 19.8)
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 #9BCBCE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.036
- Tiffany Blue #94D2BD ΔE 0.037
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.039
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.042
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.045
- Celeste #A8DADC ΔE 0.045
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.048
Use #9BCBCE 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.