#9CA4EC
Closest named color: Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB). oklch(74% 0.104 278.6), rgb(156, 164, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.93:1).
About this color
#9CA4EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.104 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB), ΔE 0.045 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.93:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.104) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB) |
| Black text | 8.93:1 |
| White text | 2.35:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA4EC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 164, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(234, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74% 0.104 278.6) |
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 #9CA4EC | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc -51.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA4EC | 8.93:1 | AAA | Lc 57.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA4EC text on white | 2.35:1 | Fails | Lc 46.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA4EC text on black | 8.93:1 | AAA | Lc -55.8 | 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
#E7E9F7
oklch(93.7% 0.019 279.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D7F1
oklch(88.4% 0.036 278.7)
-
Step 300
300
#B7BDEB
oklch(80.9% 0.065 279)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA4EC
oklch(74% 0.104 278.6)
-
Step 500
500
#787FD8
oklch(63% 0.133 278.4)
-
Step 600
600
#6267C6
oklch(55.6% 0.145 278.3)
-
Step 700
700
#5255AB
oklch(49.2% 0.135 278.7)
-
Step 800
800
#43468A
oklch(42.7% 0.111 278.7)
-
Step 900
900
#383B6F
oklch(37.7% 0.088 278.8)
-
Step 950
950
#212341
oklch(27% 0.055 279.1)
#9CA4EC 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) | #8EACEF | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #89A6EA | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86B2BE | 0.092 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.104 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA4EC
#9CA4EC
oklch(74% 0.104 278.6)
- #BBAC5A
#BBAC5A
oklch(74% 0.105 99.2)
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 #9CA4EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.045
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.054
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.062
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.066
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.071
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.072
- Pastel Purple #CAA0FF ΔE 0.074
- Lilac #CEA2FD ΔE 0.077
Use #9CA4EC 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.