#9EC8E6
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.3% 0.062 239.6), rgb(158, 200, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.85:1).
About this color
#9EC8E6 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 240°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.85:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.85:1 |
| White text | 1.77:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EC8E6 |
| RGB | rgb(158, 200, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(205, 59%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.3% 0.062 239.6) |
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 #9EC8E6 | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc -36.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9EC8E6 | 11.85:1 | AAA | Lc 71.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9EC8E6 text on white | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc 32.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9EC8E6 text on black | 11.85:1 | AAA | Lc -70.2 | 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
#F1F6FA
oklch(97.1% 0.008 241.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E0ECF5
oklch(93.7% 0.018 240)
-
Step 200
200
#C6DDEE
oklch(88.6% 0.034 239.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9EC8E6
oklch(81.3% 0.062 239.6)
-
Step 400
400
#63A9D8
oklch(70.7% 0.099 239.6)
-
Step 500
500
#2E92CD
oklch(63% 0.126 239.7)
-
Step 600
600
#007BB5
oklch(55.6% 0.127 239.8)
-
Step 700
700
#006799
oklch(49% 0.112 240)
-
Step 800
800
#00557E
oklch(42.8% 0.097 239.2)
-
Step 900
900
#074668
oklch(37.6% 0.082 239.9)
-
Step 950
950
#09293D
oklch(26.9% 0.052 240.5)
#9EC8E6 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) | #BBC7E8 | 0.036 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1BFE6 | 0.032 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #87D0D2 | 0.049 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C3C3C3 | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EC8E6
#9EC8E6
oklch(81.3% 0.062 239.6)
- #E0B99A
#E0B99A
oklch(81.2% 0.062 60.3)
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 #9EC8E6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.023
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.024
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.025
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.027
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.031
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.034
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.035
Use #9EC8E6 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.