#9CB6EA
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77.5% 0.08 263.9), rgb(156, 182, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.29:1).
About this color
#9CB6EA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.080 and its hue 264°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.033 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.29:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.080) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.29:1 |
| White text | 2.04:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB6EA |
| RGB | rgb(156, 182, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(220, 65%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.5% 0.08 263.9) |
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 #9CB6EA | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc -44.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9CB6EA | 10.29:1 | AAA | Lc 64.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB6EA text on white | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc 39.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB6EA text on black | 10.29:1 | AAA | Lc -62.6 | 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
#F2F6FD
oklch(97.2% 0.01 261.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAFA
oklch(93.6% 0.023 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#CADAF7
oklch(88.5% 0.044 262.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB6EA
oklch(77.5% 0.08 263.9)
-
Step 400
400
#779FF0
oklch(70.7% 0.127 263.5)
-
Step 500
500
#5584EB
oklch(63.1% 0.163 263.9)
-
Step 600
600
#3B6BDA
oklch(55.6% 0.178 263.9)
-
Step 700
700
#2E58BD
oklch(49% 0.166 264.2)
-
Step 800
800
#264999
oklch(42.7% 0.137 263.8)
-
Step 900
900
#233E7A
oklch(37.7% 0.107 263.8)
-
Step 950
950
#152547
oklch(27.1% 0.067 263.6)
#9CB6EA 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) | #A5B9EC | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9DB2E9 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85C1C8 | 0.072 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B5B5B5 | 0.080 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB6EA
#9CB6EA
oklch(77.5% 0.08 263.9)
- #CEB27A
#CEB27A
oklch(77.5% 0.08 84.1)
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 #9CB6EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.033
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.040
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.051
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.054
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.054
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.055
Use #9CB6EA 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.