#9CB5EE
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77.5% 0.087 266.1), rgb(156, 181, 238).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.25:1).
About this color
#9CB5EE is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.087 and its hue 266°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.25:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.087) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.25:1 |
| White text | 2.04:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB5EE |
| RGB | rgb(156, 181, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(222, 71%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.5% 0.087 266.1) |
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 #9CB5EE | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc -44.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9CB5EE | 10.25:1 | AAA | Lc 64.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB5EE text on white | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc 39.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB5EE text on black | 10.25:1 | AAA | Lc -62.5 | 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
#CAD9FA
oklch(88.5% 0.048 266)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB5EE
oklch(77.5% 0.087 266.1)
-
Step 400
400
#789DF7
oklch(70.8% 0.139 266)
-
Step 500
500
#5781F3
oklch(63.1% 0.177 266.2)
-
Step 600
600
#3E67E2
oklch(55.5% 0.193 266.2)
-
Step 700
700
#3055C4
oklch(49% 0.179 265.9)
-
Step 800
800
#28469F
oklch(42.6% 0.149 266.1)
-
Step 900
900
#243C7E
oklch(37.6% 0.116 266)
-
Step 950
950
#15244A
oklch(27% 0.073 265.6)
#9CB5EE 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) | #A2B9F1 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9AB2ED | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #84C1C9 | 0.077 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B5B5B5 | 0.087 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB5EE
#9CB5EE
oklch(77.5% 0.087 266.1)
- #CEB274
#CEB274
oklch(77.4% 0.087 86.1)
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 #9CB5EE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.029
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.032
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.051
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.056
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.057
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.057
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.059
Use #9CB5EE 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.