What color is #609EB9?

#609EB9 is a medium cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(96, 158, 185), and in HSL hsl(198, 39%, 55%).

Is #609EB9 accessible as text?

On white, #609EB9 has a contrast ratio of 2.96:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.09:1 (passes). For text placed on #609EB9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #609EB9?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-600 (#0092B8).

What colors go well with #609EB9?

#609EB9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B97A5F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #609EB9 below.

Is #609EB9 good for buttons?

#609EB9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #609EB9 — white text only reaches 2.96:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #609EB9 the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #609EB9 is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#609EB9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #609EB9

Not just a swatch — here's how #609EB9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #609EB9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #609EB9 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Carolina Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #609EB9 Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Carolina Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #609EB9 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Carolina Blue sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #609EB9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #8BC3DC

Carolina Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Carolina Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #609EB9 Secondary #AFC4CE Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Carolina Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Carolina Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #609EB9 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 28/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 59/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 32/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 40/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 29/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 61/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 45/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 80/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #609EB9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #609EB9 with

Medium Aquamarine Very Peri Beaver Platinum Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E2EBEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #5F80B9 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #609EB9 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #609EB9;
  --color-base-rgb: 96 158 185;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(66.8% 0.075 227.7);
  --color-50: #F4F9FB;
  --color-100: #E2EEF3;
  --color-200: #C6DDE6;
  --color-300: #9EC2D1;
  --color-400: #79A6B9;
  --color-500: #58889D;
  --color-600: #496B79;
  --color-700: #384E57;
  --color-800: #27343A;
  --color-900: #192124;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F4F9FB',
    100: '#E2EEF3',
    200: '#C6DDE6',
    300: '#9EC2D1',
    400: '#79A6B9',
    500: '#58889D',
    600: '#496B79',
    700: '#384E57',
    800: '#27343A',
    900: '#192124',
  },
}

$base: #609EB9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FB;
$base-100: #E2EEF3;
$base-200: #C6DDE6;
$base-300: #9EC2D1;
$base-400: #79A6B9;
$base-500: #58889D;
$base-600: #496B79;
$base-700: #384E57;
$base-800: #27343A;
$base-900: #192124;
$base-hover: #44829C;
$base-subtle: #D2E1E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#609EB9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2EEF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6DDE6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EC2D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#79A6B9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#58889D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#496B79",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#384E57",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27343A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192124",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #609EB9

Color Lab

Pairs with #609EB9

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export