#A9C8EC
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(82.2% 0.061 252.4), rgb(169, 200, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.15:1).
About this color
#A9C8EC is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 252°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.15:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 12.15:1 |
| White text | 1.72:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9C8EC |
| RGB | rgb(169, 200, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 64%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(82.2% 0.061 252.4) |
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 #A9C8EC | 1.72:1 | Fails | Lc -35.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9C8EC | 12.15:1 | AAA | Lc 72.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9C8EC text on white | 1.72:1 | Fails | Lc 31.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9C8EC text on black | 12.15:1 | AAA | Lc -71.5 | 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
#F2F6FB
oklch(97.2% 0.008 253.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E2EBF6
oklch(93.7% 0.018 253.3)
-
Step 200
200
#CADBF0
oklch(88.5% 0.034 253.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9C8EC
oklch(82.2% 0.061 252.4)
-
Step 400
400
#73A4DC
oklch(70.6% 0.098 252.5)
-
Step 500
500
#4D8DD2
oklch(63.2% 0.124 251.9)
-
Step 600
600
#2E75C0
oklch(55.6% 0.136 252.6)
-
Step 700
700
#2062A5
oklch(49% 0.126 252.3)
-
Step 800
800
#1D5086
oklch(42.6% 0.105 252.7)
-
Step 900
900
#1E436B
oklch(37.7% 0.081 252.3)
-
Step 950
950
#12273F
oklch(26.9% 0.053 253.1)
#A9C8EC 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) | #BBC9EE | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3C2EB | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #96D0D4 | 0.052 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C5C5C5 | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9C8EC
#A9C8EC
oklch(82.2% 0.061 252.4)
- #DEBF9A
#DEBF9A
oklch(82.2% 0.061 71.8)
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 #A9C8EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.020
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.022
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.027
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.027
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.038
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.039
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.039
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.041
Use #A9C8EC 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.