#9CA4E9
Closest named color: Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB). oklch(73.9% 0.1 278.6), rgb(156, 164, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.90:1).
About this color
#9CA4E9 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.100 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.90:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.100) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB) |
| Black text | 8.90:1 |
| White text | 2.35:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA4E9 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 164, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(234, 64%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.9% 0.1 278.6) |
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 #9CA4E9 | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc -51.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA4E9 | 8.90:1 | AAA | Lc 57.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA4E9 text on white | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc 46.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA4E9 text on black | 8.90:1 | AAA | Lc -55.6 | 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
#E7E9F6
oklch(93.6% 0.018 279.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D7F1
oklch(88.4% 0.036 278.7)
-
Step 300
300
#B7BDE9
oklch(80.8% 0.062 278.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA4E9
oklch(73.9% 0.1 278.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7980D5
oklch(63.1% 0.127 278.5)
-
Step 600
600
#6368C3
oklch(55.7% 0.139 278.5)
-
Step 700
700
#5256A8
oklch(49.2% 0.129 278.4)
-
Step 800
800
#434688
oklch(42.6% 0.108 278.8)
-
Step 900
900
#383C6D
oklch(37.8% 0.083 278.1)
-
Step 950
950
#212340
oklch(27% 0.054 279.2)
#9CA4E9 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) | #8FACEC | 0.024 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8AA6E7 | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #87B1BC | 0.089 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.100 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA4E9
#9CA4E9
oklch(73.9% 0.1 278.6)
- #BAAB5E
#BAAB5E
oklch(73.7% 0.1 98.5)
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 #9CA4E9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.048
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.055
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.061
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.067
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.072
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.074
- Pastel Purple #CAA0FF ΔE 0.076
- Lilac #CEA2FD ΔE 0.079
Use #9CA4E9 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.