#9DB4E6
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(77% 0.076 265.4), rgb(157, 180, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.10:1).
About this color
#9DB4E6 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.076 and its hue 265°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.038 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.10:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.076) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.10:1 |
| White text | 2.07:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9DB4E6 |
| RGB | rgb(157, 180, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(221, 59%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.076 265.4) |
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 #9DB4E6 | 2.07:1 | Fails | Lc -45.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9DB4E6 | 10.10:1 | AAA | Lc 63.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9DB4E6 text on white | 2.07:1 | Fails | Lc 40.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9DB4E6 text on black | 10.10:1 | 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
#E3EAF9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 265.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CCD9F6
oklch(88.5% 0.042 266.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9DB4E6
oklch(77% 0.076 265.4)
-
Step 400
400
#7C9EED
oklch(70.7% 0.122 265.7)
-
Step 500
500
#5B84E7
oklch(63.1% 0.156 265.3)
-
Step 600
600
#426BD5
oklch(55.6% 0.169 265.3)
-
Step 700
700
#3459B9
oklch(49.2% 0.158 265.2)
-
Step 800
800
#2C4996
oklch(42.8% 0.131 265.6)
-
Step 900
900
#273E77
oklch(37.7% 0.101 265.3)
-
Step 950
950
#172546
oklch(27.1% 0.064 265.1)
#9DB4E6 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) | #A4B7E8 | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9DB1E5 | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #88BEC5 | 0.068 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.076 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9DB4E6
#9DB4E6
oklch(77% 0.076 265.4)
- #CBB17C
#CBB17C
oklch(77% 0.076 84.6)
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 #9DB4E6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.038
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.040
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.052
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.056
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.059
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.061
Use #9DB4E6 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.