#A9B8EA
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(78.9% 0.073 271.7), rgb(169, 184, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.73:1).
About this color
#A9B8EA is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.073 and its hue 272°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.73:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.073) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 10.73:1 |
| White text | 1.95:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9B8EA |
| RGB | rgb(169, 184, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(226, 61%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.9% 0.073 271.7) |
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 #A9B8EA | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc -42.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9B8EA | 10.73:1 | AAA | Lc 66.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9B8EA text on white | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc 37.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9B8EA text on black | 10.73:1 | AAA | Lc -64.8 | 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
#F3F5FC
oklch(97.1% 0.01 273.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E5E9F9
oklch(93.6% 0.022 274.7)
-
Step 200
200
#CFD8F5
oklch(88.4% 0.041 271.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9B8EA
oklch(78.9% 0.073 271.7)
-
Step 400
400
#879CEA
oklch(70.8% 0.117 271.7)
-
Step 500
500
#6A81E3
oklch(63.1% 0.149 271.6)
-
Step 600
600
#5368D1
oklch(55.6% 0.163 271.6)
-
Step 700
700
#4456B5
oklch(49.1% 0.151 271.7)
-
Step 800
800
#384793
oklch(42.8% 0.126 271.7)
-
Step 900
900
#303C75
oklch(37.7% 0.098 272)
-
Step 950
950
#1C2444
oklch(27.1% 0.06 271.3)
#A9B8EA 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) | #A9BCEC | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A4B7E9 | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #98C2C9 | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.073 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9B8EA
#A9B8EA
oklch(78.9% 0.073 271.7)
- #CBB984
#CBB984
oklch(78.8% 0.073 91.5)
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 #A9B8EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.030
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.041
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.042
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.046
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.054
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.055
Use #A9B8EA 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.