#9EC5EE
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.072 250), rgb(158, 197, 238).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.67:1).
About this color
#9EC5EE is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.072 and its hue 250°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.67:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.072) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.67:1 |
| White text | 1.79:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EC5EE |
| RGB | rgb(158, 197, 238) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 70%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.072 250) |
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 #9EC5EE | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc -37.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EC5EE | 11.67:1 | AAA | Lc 70.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EC5EE text on white | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc 33.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EC5EE text on black | 11.67:1 | AAA | Lc -69.3 | 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
#C6DCF3
oklch(88.5% 0.04 249.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EC5EE
oklch(81% 0.072 250)
-
Step 400
400
#66A5E5
oklch(70.6% 0.115 250.1)
-
Step 500
500
#378DDE
oklch(63.1% 0.147 250.3)
-
Step 600
600
#0076CB
oklch(55.7% 0.158 250)
-
Step 700
700
#0063AB
oklch(49.2% 0.138 249.7)
-
Step 800
800
#00518E
oklch(42.8% 0.121 249.9)
-
Step 900
900
#0E4372
oklch(37.6% 0.096 250.3)
-
Step 950
950
#0B2843
oklch(27.1% 0.061 249.8)
#9EC5EE 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) | #B5C6F0 | 0.029 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ACBDED | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #85CED2 | 0.061 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C1C1C1 | 0.072 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EC5EE
#9EC5EE
oklch(81% 0.072 250)
- #DFB98E
#DFB98E
oklch(80.9% 0.072 70)
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 #9EC5EE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.030
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.031
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.031
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.032
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.032
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.032
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.033
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.034
Use #9EC5EE 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.