#9BCBDE
Closest named color: Sky Blue (#87CEEB). oklch(81.5% 0.057 224.2), rgb(155, 203, 222).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.99:1).
About this color
#9BCBDE is a light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.057 and its hue 224°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sky Blue (#87CEEB), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.99:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.057) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Sky Blue (#87CEEB) |
| Black text | 11.99:1 |
| White text | 1.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BCBDE |
| RGB | rgb(155, 203, 222) |
| HSL | hsl(197, 50%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.5% 0.057 224.2) |
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 #9BCBDE | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc -35.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9BCBDE | 11.99:1 | AAA | Lc 71.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9BCBDE text on white | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc 31.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BCBDE text on black | 11.99:1 | 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
#F0F7F9
oklch(97.1% 0.008 216.6)
-
Step 100
100
#DFECF2
oklch(93.5% 0.016 227)
-
Step 200
200
#C4DEE9
oklch(88.5% 0.032 225.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9BCBDE
oklch(81.5% 0.057 224.2)
-
Step 400
400
#5BADCB
oklch(70.7% 0.091 224.3)
-
Step 500
500
#0F98BD
oklch(63.2% 0.116 223.6)
-
Step 600
600
#0080A1
oklch(55.7% 0.105 224.1)
-
Step 700
700
#006B87
oklch(49% 0.092 224)
-
Step 800
800
#00586F
oklch(42.7% 0.08 223.4)
-
Step 900
900
#00495D
oklch(37.7% 0.071 223.8)
-
Step 950
950
#032B38
oklch(27% 0.048 224.9)
#9BCBDE 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) | #C0C8DF | 0.046 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B6C0DE | 0.042 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85D1D1 | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.057 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BCBDE
#9BCBDE
oklch(81.5% 0.057 224.2)
- #E3B7A5
#E3B7A5
oklch(81.4% 0.057 43.4)
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 #9BCBDE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.025
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.027
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.028
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.030
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.041
- Light Blue #ADD8E6 ΔE 0.043
Use #9BCBDE 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.