#9EC5EB
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.8% 0.068 248), rgb(158, 197, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.63:1).
About this color
#9EC5EB is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.068 and its hue 248°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.63:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.068) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.63:1 |
| White text | 1.80:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EC5EB |
| RGB | rgb(158, 197, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(210, 66%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.8% 0.068 248) |
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 #9EC5EB | 1.80:1 | Fails | Lc -37.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EC5EB | 11.63:1 | AAA | Lc 70.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EC5EB text on white | 1.80:1 | Fails | Lc 33.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EC5EB text on black | 11.63:1 | AAA | Lc -69.1 | 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
#F1F6FB
oklch(97.1% 0.009 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E0EBF7
oklch(93.5% 0.02 250.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DCF2
oklch(88.5% 0.038 248.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EC5EB
oklch(80.8% 0.068 248)
-
Step 400
400
#67A6E1
oklch(70.7% 0.109 248.1)
-
Step 500
500
#378ED9
oklch(63% 0.14 248.3)
-
Step 600
600
#0077C5
oklch(55.6% 0.149 247.9)
-
Step 700
700
#0064A7
oklch(49.1% 0.132 247.9)
-
Step 800
800
#00528A
oklch(42.8% 0.115 247.8)
-
Step 900
900
#0F446F
oklch(37.7% 0.091 248.2)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2841
oklch(26.9% 0.058 248)
#9EC5EB 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) | #B6C5ED | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ADBDEA | 0.026 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86CED1 | 0.058 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C1C1C1 | 0.068 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EC5EB
#9EC5EB
oklch(80.8% 0.068 248)
- #DEB991
#DEB991
oklch(80.8% 0.068 68.8)
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 #9EC5EB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.027
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.027
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.028
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.033
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.033
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.034
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.035
Use #9EC5EB 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.