#9FBCEB
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(79% 0.074 260), rgb(159, 188, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.86:1).
About this color
#9FBCEB is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.074 and its hue 260°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.86:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.074) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.86:1 |
| White text | 1.93:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FBCEB |
| RGB | rgb(159, 188, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(217, 66%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79% 0.074 260) |
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 #9FBCEB | 1.93:1 | Fails | Lc -41.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9FBCEB | 10.86:1 | AAA | Lc 66.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9FBCEB text on white | 1.93:1 | Fails | Lc 37.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9FBCEB text on black | 10.86:1 | AAA | Lc -65.4 | 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
#F2F6FC
oklch(97.2% 0.009 258.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EAF9
oklch(93.5% 0.022 263.2)
-
Step 200
200
#CADAF5
oklch(88.5% 0.041 260.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9FBCEB
oklch(79% 0.074 260)
-
Step 400
400
#74A1EB
oklch(70.7% 0.12 260)
-
Step 500
500
#5087E4
oklch(63% 0.152 260.3)
-
Step 600
600
#336FD2
oklch(55.6% 0.165 259.9)
-
Step 700
700
#265CB6
oklch(49% 0.154 260.1)
-
Step 800
800
#214C93
oklch(42.7% 0.127 259.9)
-
Step 900
900
#204075
oklch(37.7% 0.098 259.9)
-
Step 950
950
#132645
oklch(27.1% 0.063 259.7)
#9FBCEB 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) | #ACBEED | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A4B7EA | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #89C6CC | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BABABA | 0.074 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FBCEB
#9FBCEB
oklch(79% 0.074 260)
- #D4B684
#D4B684
oklch(79% 0.074 80.1)
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 #9FBCEB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.027
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.034
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.038
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.040
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.040
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.045
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.045
Use #9FBCEB 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.