#9DB5FF
Closest named color: Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE). oklch(78.3% 0.109 270), rgb(157, 181, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.48:1).
About this color
#9DB5FF is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.109 and its hue 270°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.109) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Carolina Blue (#8AB8FE) |
| Black text | 10.48:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9DB5FF |
| RGB | rgb(157, 181, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 100%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.3% 0.109 270) |
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 #9DB5FF | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9DB5FF | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc 65.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9DB5FF text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9DB5FF text on black | 10.48:1 | AAA | Lc -63.6 | 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
#F2F5FF
oklch(97.1% 0.014 272.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E2E9FF
oklch(93.5% 0.031 271.7)
-
Step 200
200
#CBD8FF
oklch(88.5% 0.056 270.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9DB5FF
oklch(78.3% 0.109 270)
-
Step 400
400
#7C99FF
oklch(70.6% 0.153 270.2)
-
Step 500
500
#5D7CFF
oklch(63.2% 0.197 269.9)
-
Step 600
600
#4259FE
oklch(55.5% 0.243 270)
-
Step 700
700
#3547DE
oklch(49.1% 0.227 269.9)
-
Step 800
800
#2C3CB3
oklch(42.7% 0.187 270.1)
-
Step 900
900
#26368D
oklch(37.7% 0.145 270)
-
Step 950
950
#162153
oklch(27.1% 0.092 269.9)
#9DB5FF 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) | #9CBCFF | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #93B3FD | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7EC4CF | 0.098 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.109 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9DB5FF
#9DB5FF
oklch(78.3% 0.109 270)
- #D4B561
#D4B561
oklch(78.3% 0.11 89.5)
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 #9DB5FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.023
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.028
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.061
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.064
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.067
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.069
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.071
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.071
Use #9DB5FF 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.