#9CB9EA
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(78.2% 0.077 260.8), rgb(156, 185, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.54:1).
About this color
#9CB9EA is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.077 and its hue 261°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.54:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.077) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.54:1 |
| White text | 1.99:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB9EA |
| RGB | rgb(156, 185, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(218, 65%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.2% 0.077 260.8) |
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 #9CB9EA | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc -43.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9CB9EA | 10.54:1 | AAA | Lc 65.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB9EA text on white | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc 38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB9EA 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
#F2F6FD
oklch(97.2% 0.01 261.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAF9
oklch(93.5% 0.022 263.2)
-
Step 200
200
#C9DAF6
oklch(88.4% 0.043 260.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB9EA
oklch(78.2% 0.077 260.8)
-
Step 400
400
#74A0ED
oklch(70.6% 0.123 261.1)
-
Step 500
500
#4F87E8
oklch(63.2% 0.158 260.6)
-
Step 600
600
#336ED6
oklch(55.6% 0.172 260.8)
-
Step 700
700
#265BB9
oklch(49.1% 0.159 260.9)
-
Step 800
800
#214B96
oklch(42.7% 0.132 260.9)
-
Step 900
900
#203F77
oklch(37.6% 0.103 261.2)
-
Step 950
950
#132646
oklch(27.1% 0.065 260.2)
#9CB9EA 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) | #A8BCEC | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0B4E9 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85C3C9 | 0.069 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.077 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB9EA
#9CB9EA
oklch(78.2% 0.077 260.8)
- #D2B37F
#D2B37F
oklch(78.2% 0.077 80.1)
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 #9CB9EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.031
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.036
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.038
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.045
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.047
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.048
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.049
Use #9CB9EA 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.