#9ECAE6
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.7% 0.061 236.4), rgb(158, 202, 230).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.04:1).
About this color
#9ECAE6 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 236°. 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 12.04:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 12.04:1 |
| White text | 1.74:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9ECAE6 |
| RGB | rgb(158, 202, 230) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 59%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.7% 0.061 236.4) |
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 #9ECAE6 | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc -35.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9ECAE6 | 12.04:1 | AAA | Lc 72.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9ECAE6 text on white | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc 31.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9ECAE6 text on black | 12.04:1 | AAA | Lc -71.0 | 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
#C5DDED
oklch(88.5% 0.034 237)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9ECAE6
oklch(81.7% 0.061 236.4)
-
Step 400
400
#60AAD6
oklch(70.7% 0.098 236.5)
-
Step 500
500
#2694CB
oklch(63.2% 0.125 236.4)
-
Step 600
600
#007CB0
oklch(55.5% 0.121 236.7)
-
Step 700
700
#006895
oklch(49% 0.107 237)
-
Step 800
800
#00557B
oklch(42.6% 0.093 237.2)
-
Step 900
900
#014767
oklch(37.7% 0.082 236.8)
-
Step 950
950
#072A3C
oklch(27% 0.051 235.9)
#9ECAE6 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) | #BDC9E7 | 0.038 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3C1E6 | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #87D1D3 | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9ECAE6
#9ECAE6
oklch(81.7% 0.061 236.4)
- #E3BA9D
#E3BA9D
oklch(81.8% 0.062 57)
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 #9ECAE6, 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 0.026
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.028
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.030
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.034
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
Use #9ECAE6 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.