#9CB6FF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(78.5% 0.109 268.8), rgb(156, 182, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.54:1).
About this color
#9CB6FF is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.109 and its hue 269°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.021 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.54:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.109) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.54:1 |
| White text | 1.99:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB6FF |
| RGB | rgb(156, 182, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(224, 100%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.5% 0.109 268.8) |
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 #9CB6FF | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc -42.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9CB6FF | 10.54:1 | AAA | Lc 65.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB6FF text on white | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc 38.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB6FF text on black | 10.54:1 | AAA | Lc -63.9 | 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
#E1EAFF
oklch(93.7% 0.03 267.2)
-
Step 200
200
#CAD8FF
oklch(88.4% 0.056 269.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB6FF
oklch(78.5% 0.109 268.8)
-
Step 400
400
#7A9AFF
oklch(70.7% 0.152 269)
-
Step 500
500
#597DFF
oklch(63.2% 0.197 268.6)
-
Step 600
600
#3E5BFD
oklch(55.6% 0.241 268.9)
-
Step 700
700
#3149DD
oklch(49.1% 0.224 268.7)
-
Step 800
800
#283DB2
oklch(42.6% 0.186 268.8)
-
Step 900
900
#23378D
oklch(37.8% 0.144 268.5)
-
Step 950
950
#152152
oklch(27% 0.091 269.1)
#9CB6FF 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) | #9DBCFF | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #94B4FD | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7CC5D0 | 0.097 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.109 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB6FF
#9CB6FF
oklch(78.5% 0.109 268.8)
- #D5B563
#D5B563
oklch(78.4% 0.108 88.5)
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 #9CB6FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.021
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.026
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.059
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.061
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.068
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.068
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.068
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.068
Use #9CB6FF 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.