#9CA5EC
Closest named color: Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB). oklch(74.2% 0.103 278), rgb(156, 165, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.00:1).
About this color
#9CA5EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.103 and its hue 278°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB), ΔE 0.047 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.00:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.103) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Periwinkle Blue (#8F99FB) |
| Black text | 9.00:1 |
| White text | 2.33:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA5EC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 165, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(233, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.2% 0.103 278) |
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 #9CA5EC | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc -50.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA5EC | 9.00:1 | AAA | Lc 58.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5EC text on white | 2.33:1 | Fails | Lc 45.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5EC text on black | 9.00:1 | AAA | Lc -56.1 | 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
#B6BDEB
oklch(80.9% 0.065 278.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA5EC
oklch(74.2% 0.103 278)
-
Step 500
500
#7880D8
oklch(63.2% 0.132 278)
-
Step 600
600
#6267C5
oklch(55.6% 0.143 278.3)
-
Step 700
700
#5155AA
oklch(49% 0.133 278.2)
-
Step 800
800
#42468A
oklch(42.6% 0.111 278.1)
-
Step 900
900
#383C6E
oklch(37.8% 0.085 278.1)
-
Step 950
950
#202341
oklch(27% 0.056 277.7)
#9CA5EC 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) | #8FADEF | 0.024 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8AA7EA | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86B2BE | 0.091 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AAAAAA | 0.103 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA5EC
#9CA5EC
oklch(74.2% 0.103 278)
- #BDAC5C
#BDAC5C
oklch(74.2% 0.103 97.6)
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 #9CA5EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.047
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.051
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.064
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.068
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.069
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.073
- Pastel Purple #CAA0FF ΔE 0.074
- Lilac #CEA2FD ΔE 0.077
Use #9CA5EC 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.