#9EC5EC
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.9% 0.069 248.7), rgb(158, 197, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.65:1).
About this color
#9EC5EC is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.069 and its hue 249°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.028 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.65:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.069) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.65:1 |
| White text | 1.80:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EC5EC |
| RGB | rgb(158, 197, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(210, 67%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.9% 0.069 248.7) |
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 #9EC5EC | 1.80:1 | Fails | Lc -37.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EC5EC | 11.65:1 | AAA | Lc 70.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EC5EC text on white | 1.80:1 | Fails | Lc 33.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EC5EC text on black | 11.65:1 | AAA | Lc -69.2 | 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
#E0EBF7
oklch(93.5% 0.02 250.4)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DCF2
oklch(88.5% 0.038 248.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EC5EC
oklch(80.9% 0.069 248.7)
-
Step 400
400
#67A6E3
oklch(70.8% 0.111 248.9)
-
Step 500
500
#378EDB
oklch(63.1% 0.142 248.9)
-
Step 600
600
#0077C7
oklch(55.7% 0.152 248.5)
-
Step 700
700
#0063A8
oklch(49% 0.134 248.8)
-
Step 800
800
#00518B
oklch(42.6% 0.117 248.8)
-
Step 900
900
#0F4470
oklch(37.8% 0.092 248.7)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2842
oklch(27% 0.059 248.9)
#9EC5EC 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) | #B6C5EE | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ACBDEB | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86CED2 | 0.058 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C1C1C1 | 0.069 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EC5EC
#9EC5EC
oklch(80.9% 0.069 248.7)
- #DFB990
#DFB990
oklch(80.9% 0.07 68.7)
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 #9EC5EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.028
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.029
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.029
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.032
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.033
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.033
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.034
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.035
Use #9EC5EC 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.