#9EB9CA
Closest named color: Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4). oklch(77.1% 0.038 235.6), rgb(158, 185, 202).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.24:1).
About this color
#9EB9CA is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.038 and its hue 236°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4), ΔE 0.014 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.24:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.038) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Grey Blue (#9DBCD4) |
| Black text | 10.24:1 |
| White text | 2.04:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EB9CA |
| RGB | rgb(158, 185, 202) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 29%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.1% 0.038 235.6) |
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 #9EB9CA | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc -44.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EB9CA | 10.24:1 | AAA | Lc 64.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EB9CA text on white | 2.04:1 | Fails | Lc 39.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EB9CA text on black | 10.24:1 | AAA | Lc -62.4 | 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
#F2F6F8
oklch(97.1% 0.005 228.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF0
oklch(93.5% 0.011 234.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDCE5
oklch(88.5% 0.021 232.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EB9CA
oklch(77.1% 0.038 235.6)
-
Step 400
400
#7BA7C2
oklch(70.6% 0.062 235.7)
-
Step 500
500
#5891B2
oklch(63% 0.078 235.3)
-
Step 600
600
#3C7B9E
oklch(55.6% 0.085 235.4)
-
Step 700
700
#2D6787
oklch(49% 0.079 235.8)
-
Step 800
800
#27546E
oklch(42.6% 0.066 236.5)
-
Step 900
900
#254659
oklch(37.8% 0.051 235.5)
-
Step 950
950
#162934
oklch(27% 0.032 235.1)
#9EB9CA 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) | #B1B8CB | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ABB3CA | 0.022 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #92BEBE | 0.030 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B5B5B5 | 0.038 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EB9CA
#9EB9CA
oklch(77.1% 0.038 235.6)
- #C9AF9E
#C9AF9E
oklch(77.2% 0.038 55.2)
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 #9EB9CA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.014
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.024
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.025
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.035
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.045
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.053
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.053
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.053
Use #9EB9CA 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.