#9CB4E7
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77% 0.078 265), rgb(156, 180, 231).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.09:1).
About this color
#9CB4E7 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.078 and its hue 265°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.09:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.078) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.09:1 |
| White text | 2.08:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB4E7 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 180, 231) |
| HSL | hsl(221, 61%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.078 265) |
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 #9CB4E7 | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc -45.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CB4E7 | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc 63.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB4E7 text on white | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc 40.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB4E7 text on black | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc -61.7 | 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
#F2F5FD
oklch(97% 0.011 269.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAFA
oklch(93.6% 0.023 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#CBD9F7
oklch(88.4% 0.044 265.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB4E7
oklch(77% 0.078 265)
-
Step 400
400
#7A9EEF
oklch(70.7% 0.126 265.1)
-
Step 500
500
#5984E9
oklch(63.1% 0.159 264.9)
-
Step 600
600
#406BD7
oklch(55.6% 0.173 264.9)
-
Step 700
700
#3258BB
oklch(49% 0.162 265.1)
-
Step 800
800
#2A4997
oklch(42.7% 0.133 265)
-
Step 900
900
#263E78
oklch(37.7% 0.103 265)
-
Step 950
950
#162546
oklch(27.1% 0.065 264.1)
#9CB4E7 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) | #A3B7E9 | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CB1E6 | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86BEC5 | 0.070 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.078 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB4E7
#9CB4E7
oklch(77% 0.078 265)
- #CBB17A
#CBB17A
oklch(77% 0.078 85.3)
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 #9CB4E7, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.036
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.040
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.040
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.046
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.053
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.057
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.058
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.060
Use #9CB4E7 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.