#A9C4E1
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.051 250.3), rgb(169, 196, 225).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.67:1).
About this color
#A9C4E1 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.051 and its hue 250°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.009 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.67:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.051) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.67:1 |
| White text | 1.79:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9C4E1 |
| RGB | rgb(169, 196, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(211, 48%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.051 250.3) |
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 #A9C4E1 | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc -37.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9C4E1 | 11.67:1 | AAA | Lc 70.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9C4E1 text on white | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc 33.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9C4E1 text on black | 11.67:1 | AAA | Lc -69.2 | 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
#F2F6FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E3EBF4
oklch(93.7% 0.015 251.2)
-
Step 200
200
#CCDBEB
oklch(88.5% 0.027 249.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9C4E1
oklch(81% 0.051 250.3)
-
Step 400
400
#7AA5D2
oklch(70.8% 0.081 250.1)
-
Step 500
500
#578EC6
oklch(63.2% 0.103 250.2)
-
Step 600
600
#3A77B2
oklch(55.6% 0.112 249.8)
-
Step 700
700
#2C6499
oklch(49.2% 0.104 249.7)
-
Step 800
800
#26517C
oklch(42.6% 0.086 250.6)
-
Step 900
900
#244464
oklch(37.8% 0.067 250)
-
Step 950
950
#16283B
oklch(27.1% 0.043 250.9)
#A9C4E1 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) | #B9C4E2 | 0.021 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3BFE0 | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9ACACD | 0.042 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C1C1C1 | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9C4E1
#A9C4E1
oklch(81% 0.051 250.3)
- #D6BC9E
#D6BC9E
oklch(81% 0.05 71)
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 #A9C4E1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.009
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.011
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.023
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.026
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.031
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.042
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.043
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.048
Use #A9C4E1 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.