#9CA8EC
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.8% 0.099 276), rgb(156, 168, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.22:1).
About this color
#9CA8EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.099 and its hue 276°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.045 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.22:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.099) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.22:1 |
| White text | 2.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA8EC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 168, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(231, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.8% 0.099 276) |
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 #9CA8EC | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc -49.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA8EC | 9.22:1 | AAA | Lc 59.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8EC text on white | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc 44.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CA8EC text on black | 9.22:1 | AAA | Lc -57.3 | 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
#E6E9F6
oklch(93.6% 0.018 275.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D8F0
oklch(88.5% 0.034 274.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B5BEE9
oklch(80.9% 0.062 275.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA8EC
oklch(74.8% 0.099 276)
-
Step 500
500
#7581D5
oklch(63% 0.127 276)
-
Step 600
600
#5F69C2
oklch(55.6% 0.137 276.2)
-
Step 700
700
#4E57A8
oklch(49.1% 0.128 275.8)
-
Step 800
800
#404888
oklch(42.8% 0.105 275.6)
-
Step 900
900
#363C6D
oklch(37.6% 0.084 276.3)
-
Step 950
950
#202440
oklch(27.1% 0.052 276.2)
#9CA8EC 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) | #93AFEF | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8DA9EA | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86B5C0 | 0.088 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.099 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA8EC
#9CA8EC
oklch(74.8% 0.099 276)
- #C0AD61
#C0AD61
oklch(74.8% 0.099 95.7)
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 #9CA8EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.045
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.054
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.061
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.069
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.073
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.075
- Pastel Purple #CAA0FF ΔE 0.075
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.076
Use #9CA8EC 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.