#9CAEF4
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(76.3% 0.103 272.7), rgb(156, 174, 244).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.77:1).
About this color
#9CAEF4 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.103 and its hue 273°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.77:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.103) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 9.77:1 |
| White text | 2.14:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEF4 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 244) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 80%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.3% 0.103 272.7) |
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 #9CAEF4 | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc -46.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEF4 | 9.77:1 | AAA | Lc 61.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CAEF4 text on white | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc 42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEF4 text on black | 9.77:1 | AAA | Lc -60.1 | 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)
#9CAEF4
oklch(76.3% 0.103 272.7)
-
Step 400
400
#8198FF
oklch(70.7% 0.153 272.5)
-
Step 500
500
#6479FF
oklch(63% 0.199 272.7)
-
Step 600
600
#4D5AF5
oklch(55.5% 0.228 272.7)
-
Step 700
700
#3F49D6
oklch(49.2% 0.212 272.5)
-
Step 800
800
#343DAD
oklch(42.7% 0.176 272.8)
-
Step 900
900
#2C3689
oklch(37.7% 0.137 272.7)
-
Step 950
950
#192150
oklch(27.1% 0.086 272.1)
#9CAEF4 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) | #97B5F7 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #90AEF2 | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #82BCC7 | 0.092 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.103 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEF4
#9CAEF4
oklch(76.3% 0.103 272.7)
- #C9B162
#C9B162
oklch(76.4% 0.103 92.9)
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 #9CAEF4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.031
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.045
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.062
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.069
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.071
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.074
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.074
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.074
Use #9CAEF4 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.