#9ECAE4
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.6% 0.059 234.4), rgb(158, 202, 228).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.02:1).
About this color
#9ECAE4 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.059 and its hue 234°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.02:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.059) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 12.02:1 |
| White text | 1.74:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9ECAE4 |
| RGB | rgb(158, 202, 228) |
| HSL | hsl(202, 56%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.6% 0.059 234.4) |
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 #9ECAE4 | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc -35.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9ECAE4 | 12.02:1 | AAA | Lc 72.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9ECAE4 text on white | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc 31.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9ECAE4 text on black | 12.02:1 | AAA | Lc -70.9 | 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
#DFECF4
oklch(93.6% 0.018 234.5)
-
Step 200
200
#C5DDEC
oklch(88.4% 0.033 235.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9ECAE4
oklch(81.6% 0.059 234.4)
-
Step 400
400
#61AAD3
oklch(70.7% 0.095 234.9)
-
Step 500
500
#2794C7
oklch(63% 0.121 234.4)
-
Step 600
600
#007DAD
oklch(55.6% 0.117 234.3)
-
Step 700
700
#006992
oklch(49.1% 0.103 234.3)
-
Step 800
800
#005678
oklch(42.7% 0.089 233.9)
-
Step 900
900
#014765
oklch(37.6% 0.079 235.1)
-
Step 950
950
#072A3B
oklch(27% 0.05 234.4)
#9ECAE4 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) | #BEC8E5 | 0.040 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4C0E4 | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #88D1D2 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.059 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9ECAE4
#9ECAE4
oklch(81.6% 0.059 234.4)
- #E2B99F
#E2B99F
oklch(81.5% 0.059 54.1)
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 #9ECAE4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.025
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.025
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.025
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.027
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.030
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.036
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
Use #9ECAE4 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.