#9CAEF3
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.3% 0.101 272.6), rgb(156, 174, 243).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.76:1).
About this color
#9CAEF3 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.101 and its hue 273°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.76:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.101) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.76:1 |
| White text | 2.15:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEF3 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 243) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 78%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.3% 0.101 272.6) |
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 #9CAEF3 | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc -46.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEF3 | 9.76:1 | AAA | Lc 61.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CAEF3 text on white | 2.15:1 | Fails | Lc 42.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEF3 text on black | 9.76:1 | AAA | Lc -60.0 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F2F5FF
oklch(97.1% 0.014 272.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E3E9FE
oklch(93.6% 0.029 273.1)
-
Step 200
200
#CCD8FF
oklch(88.6% 0.055 271.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CAEF3
oklch(76.3% 0.101 272.6)
-
Step 400
400
#8198FF
oklch(70.7% 0.153 272.5)
-
Step 500
500
#6479FF
oklch(63% 0.199 272.7)
-
Step 600
600
#4D5BF4
oklch(55.6% 0.226 272.5)
-
Step 700
700
#3F49D4
oklch(49% 0.21 272.6)
-
Step 800
800
#343EAC
oklch(42.8% 0.173 272.6)
-
Step 900
900
#2C3688
oklch(37.7% 0.136 272.8)
-
Step 950
950
#19214F
oklch(27% 0.085 272.1)
#9CAEF3 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) | #98B5F6 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #91ADF1 | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #82BCC6 | 0.092 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.101 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEF3
#9CAEF3
oklch(76.3% 0.101 272.6)
- #C9B063
#C9B063
oklch(76.2% 0.101 91.9)
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 #9CAEF3, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.032
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.045
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.063
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.067
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.071
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.073
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.073
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.074
Use #9CAEF3 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.