#9CAAE6
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(74.9% 0.088 274), rgb(156, 170, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.30:1).
About this color
#9CAAE6 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.088 and its hue 274°. 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 9.30:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.088) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.30:1 |
| White text | 2.25:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAAE6 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 170, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(229, 60%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.9% 0.088 274) |
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 #9CAAE6 | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc -49.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAAE6 | 9.30:1 | AAA | Lc 59.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAAE6 text on white | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc 44.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAAE6 text on black | 9.30:1 | AAA | Lc -57.7 | 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
#E6E9F5
oklch(93.5% 0.016 274.8)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D8EE
oklch(88.4% 0.031 273.6)
-
Step 300
300
#B5BFE5
oklch(81% 0.055 273.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAAE6
oklch(74.9% 0.088 274)
-
Step 500
500
#7484CD
oklch(63.2% 0.112 273.4)
-
Step 600
600
#5E6CBA
oklch(55.6% 0.122 274.1)
-
Step 700
700
#4D5AA1
oklch(49.2% 0.114 273.7)
-
Step 800
800
#3F4A82
oklch(42.8% 0.094 273.4)
-
Step 900
900
#363E68
oklch(37.7% 0.073 274.2)
-
Step 950
950
#1F243D
oklch(26.8% 0.047 274.2)
#9CAAE6 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) | #97B0E9 | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92AAE5 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #88B5BF | 0.078 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.088 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAAE6
#9CAAE6
oklch(74.9% 0.088 274)
- #C0AD6B
#C0AD6B
oklch(74.9% 0.088 93.9)
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 #9CAAE6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.045
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.059
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.062
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.064
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.070
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.071
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.075
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.077
Use #9CAAE6 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.