#9EC3EF
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(80.6% 0.074 253.1), rgb(158, 195, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.50:1).
About this color
#9EC3EF is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.074 and its hue 253°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.028 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.50:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.074) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.50:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EC3EF |
| RGB | rgb(158, 195, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(213, 72%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.6% 0.074 253.1) |
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 #9EC3EF | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EC3EF | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc 69.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EC3EF text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EC3EF text on black | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc -68.5 | 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
#F1F6FC
oklch(97.1% 0.01 252.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBF8
oklch(93.6% 0.021 252.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C7DBF4
oklch(88.4% 0.041 254)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EC3EF
oklch(80.6% 0.074 253.1)
-
Step 400
400
#69A4E9
oklch(70.7% 0.119 253.2)
-
Step 500
500
#3C8BE2
oklch(63% 0.152 253.2)
-
Step 600
600
#1073D0
oklch(55.5% 0.166 253.2)
-
Step 700
700
#0060B3
oklch(49% 0.152 253.2)
-
Step 800
800
#074F92
oklch(42.7% 0.127 253.1)
-
Step 900
900
#134274
oklch(37.6% 0.099 253.2)
-
Step 950
950
#0D2744
oklch(27% 0.063 253.3)
#9EC3EF 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) | #B3C4F1 | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9BCEE | 0.021 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85CDD2 | 0.064 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.074 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EC3EF
#9EC3EF
oklch(80.6% 0.074 253.1)
- #DDB98A
#DDB98A
oklch(80.6% 0.075 73.8)
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 #9EC3EF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.028
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.032
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.033
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.034
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.034
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.035
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.037
Use #9EC3EF 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.