#9CA3E2
Closest named color: Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB). oklch(73.3% 0.091 279), rgb(156, 163, 226).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.75:1).
About this color
#9CA3E2 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.091 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB), ΔE 0.054 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.75:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.091) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB) |
| Black text | 8.75:1 |
| White text | 2.39:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA3E2 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 163, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(234, 55%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.3% 0.091 279) |
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 #9CA3E2 | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc -52.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA3E2 | 8.75:1 | AAA | Lc 56.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3E2 text on white | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc 47.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3E2 text on black | 8.75:1 | AAA | Lc -54.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F5FB
oklch(97.1% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F5
oklch(93.6% 0.016 278.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D7EE
oklch(88.4% 0.032 279.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B8BDE6
oklch(80.8% 0.058 279.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA3E2
oklch(73.3% 0.091 279)
-
Step 500
500
#7B81CF
oklch(63.2% 0.117 279.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6469BC
oklch(55.6% 0.127 278.8)
-
Step 700
700
#5357A2
oklch(49% 0.118 278.8)
-
Step 800
800
#444883
oklch(42.8% 0.097 278.5)
-
Step 900
900
#393C69
oklch(37.6% 0.076 279.1)
-
Step 950
950
#21243E
oklch(27.1% 0.048 277.6)
#9CA3E2 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) | #90AAE5 | 0.022 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8CA5E0 | 0.021 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8AAFB9 | 0.082 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A7A7A7 | 0.092 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA3E2
#9CA3E2
oklch(73.3% 0.091 279)
- #B7AA64
#B7AA64
oklch(73.3% 0.092 99)
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 #9CA3E2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.054
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.058
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.060
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.067
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.075
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.076
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.077
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.078
Use #9CA3E2 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.