#9CB3EC
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77% 0.086 267.4), rgb(156, 179, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.07:1).
About this color
#9CB3EC is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.086 and its hue 267°. 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 10.07:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.086) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.07:1 |
| White text | 2.08:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB3EC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 179, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(223, 68%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.086 267.4) |
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 #9CB3EC | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc -45.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CB3EC | 10.07:1 | AAA | Lc 63.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB3EC text on white | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc 40.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB3EC text on black | 10.07:1 | AAA | Lc -61.6 | 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
#F2F5FE
oklch(97% 0.012 271.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAFB
oklch(93.6% 0.025 265.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CBD9FA
oklch(88.5% 0.048 267.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB3EC
oklch(77% 0.086 267.4)
-
Step 400
400
#7B9CF6
oklch(70.7% 0.137 267.6)
-
Step 500
500
#5B80F3
oklch(63.1% 0.177 267.7)
-
Step 600
600
#4267E1
oklch(55.6% 0.19 267.2)
-
Step 700
700
#3554C4
oklch(49.1% 0.178 267.5)
-
Step 800
800
#2C469E
oklch(42.7% 0.146 267.4)
-
Step 900
900
#273C7E
oklch(37.8% 0.115 267.4)
-
Step 950
950
#17244A
oklch(27.2% 0.073 267.3)
#9CB3EC 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) | #A0B7EF | 0.012 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #99B0EB | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85BEC7 | 0.076 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.086 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB3EC
#9CB3EC
oklch(77% 0.086 267.4)
- #CCB173
#CCB173
oklch(77% 0.086 86.9)
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 #9CB3EC, 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 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.054
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.060
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.060
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.062
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.063
Use #9CB3EC 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.