#A9BCED
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(79.8% 0.073 268.2), rgb(169, 188, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.10:1).
About this color
#A9BCED is a light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.073 and its hue 268°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.10:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.073) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.10:1 |
| White text | 1.89:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9BCED |
| RGB | rgb(169, 188, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(223, 65%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.8% 0.073 268.2) |
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 #A9BCED | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc -40.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9BCED | 11.10:1 | AAA | Lc 68.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9BCED text on white | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc 35.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9BCED text on black | 11.10:1 | AAA | Lc -66.6 | 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
#E4EAF9
oklch(93.7% 0.021 268.4)
-
Step 200
200
#CED9F5
oklch(88.6% 0.04 268.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9BCED
oklch(79.8% 0.073 268.2)
-
Step 400
400
#829DEA
oklch(70.7% 0.117 268.6)
-
Step 500
500
#6383E3
oklch(63.1% 0.149 268.1)
-
Step 600
600
#4B6AD1
oklch(55.5% 0.162 268.2)
-
Step 700
700
#3D58B5
oklch(49.1% 0.151 268.2)
-
Step 800
800
#324892
oklch(42.6% 0.125 268.3)
-
Step 900
900
#2C3D75
oklch(37.7% 0.098 268.7)
-
Step 950
950
#1A2444
oklch(26.9% 0.061 268.9)
#A9BCED 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) | #ADC0EF | 0.012 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A7BAEC | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #97C6CC | 0.067 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.073 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9BCED
#A9BCED
oklch(79.8% 0.073 268.2)
- #D0BB87
#D0BB87
oklch(79.7% 0.073 88.5)
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 #A9BCED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.024
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.036
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.038
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.041
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.042
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.046
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.047
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.047
Use #A9BCED 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.