#9FC5EF
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.1% 0.072 251.3), rgb(159, 197, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.70:1).
About this color
#9FC5EF is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.072 and its hue 251°. 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 11.70:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.072) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.70:1 |
| White text | 1.79:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FC5EF |
| RGB | rgb(159, 197, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 71%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.1% 0.072 251.3) |
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 #9FC5EF | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc -37.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9FC5EF | 11.70:1 | AAA | Lc 70.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9FC5EF text on white | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc 33.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9FC5EF text on black | 11.70:1 | AAA | Lc -69.5 | 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)
#9FC5EF
oklch(81.1% 0.072 251.3)
-
Step 400
400
#68A5E6
oklch(70.7% 0.115 251.2)
-
Step 500
500
#3A8DDF
oklch(63.2% 0.147 251.1)
-
Step 600
600
#0675CD
oklch(55.7% 0.161 251.2)
-
Step 700
700
#0062AE
oklch(49.1% 0.143 251.1)
-
Step 800
800
#02508F
oklch(42.7% 0.123 251.1)
-
Step 900
900
#114372
oklch(37.7% 0.096 251)
-
Step 950
950
#0C2843
oklch(27.1% 0.061 250.4)
#9FC5EF 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) | #B5C6F1 | 0.028 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ACBEEE | 0.023 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #86CED3 | 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°).
- #9FC5EF
#9FC5EF
oklch(81.1% 0.072 251.3)
- #DFBA8E
#DFBA8E
oklch(81.1% 0.072 71.4)
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 #9FC5EF, 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
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.030
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.031
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.032
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.032
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.033
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.033
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.036
Use #9FC5EF 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.