#A9C4E2
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.052 251.2), rgb(169, 196, 226).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.68:1).
About this color
#A9C4E2 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 251°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.010 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.68:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.68:1 |
| White text | 1.79:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9C4E2 |
| RGB | rgb(169, 196, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 50%, 77%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.052 251.2) |
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 #A9C4E2 | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc -37.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9C4E2 | 11.68:1 | AAA | Lc 70.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9C4E2 text on white | 1.79:1 | Fails | Lc 33.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9C4E2 text on black | 11.68:1 | AAA | Lc -69.3 | 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
#CCDBEC
oklch(88.5% 0.029 251.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9C4E2
oklch(81% 0.052 251.2)
-
Step 400
400
#7AA4D3
oklch(70.6% 0.083 251.8)
-
Step 500
500
#578DC7
oklch(63.1% 0.105 251.4)
-
Step 600
600
#3A76B4
oklch(55.5% 0.115 251.3)
-
Step 700
700
#2C639B
oklch(49.1% 0.107 251.3)
-
Step 800
800
#26517E
oklch(42.7% 0.089 251.6)
-
Step 900
900
#244365
oklch(37.6% 0.069 252.1)
-
Step 950
950
#16283B
oklch(27.1% 0.043 250.9)
#A9C4E2 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) | #B9C4E3 | 0.021 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BFE1 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #99CBCE | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C1C1C1 | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9C4E2
#A9C4E2
oklch(81% 0.052 251.2)
- #D7BC9D
#D7BC9D
oklch(81% 0.052 70.8)
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 #A9C4E2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.010
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.012
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.023
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.026
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.031
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.042
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.042
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.047
Use #A9C4E2 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.