What color is #9BB8EE?

#9BB8EE is a light, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(155, 184, 238), and in HSL hsl(219, 71%, 77%).

Is #9BB8EE accessible as text?

On white, #9BB8EE has a contrast ratio of 2.00:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.48:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BB8EE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BB8EE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-300 (#A3B3FF).

What colors go well with #9BB8EE?

#9BB8EE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EED19B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9BB8EE below.

Is #9BB8EE good for buttons?

#9BB8EE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9BB8EE — white text only reaches 2.00:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9BB8EE the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9BB8EE is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9BB8EE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9BB8EE

Not just a swatch — here's how #9BB8EE works with other colors. Named schemes with #9BB8EE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BB8EE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A7 Anchor #2E3236

Maya 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 #9BB8EE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Maya 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 #9BB8EE Surface #EBEADD Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Maya 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 #9BB8EE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C4DFFF

Maya 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 Maya Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #9BB8EE Secondary #DAE5F9 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Maya 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 Maya Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9BB8EE 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 29/100

Cool

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

Softness 66/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 29/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 32/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 30/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 54/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 84/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9BB8EE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BB8EE with

Pale Turquoise Wisteria Desert Sand Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

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

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 9.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF1F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9B9CEE — 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 #9BB8EE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #9BB8EE;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 184 238;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(78.1% 0.084 262.6);
  --color-50: #F1F6FD;
  --color-100: #DBE6FA;
  --color-200: #B9CEF3;
  --color-300: #8AAAE5;
  --color-400: #5E87D4;
  --color-500: #3C68B9;
  --color-600: #35548D;
  --color-700: #2B3F64;
  --color-800: #1F2B42;
  --color-900: #151C28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  maya-blue: {
    50: '#F1F6FD',
    100: '#DBE6FA',
    200: '#B9CEF3',
    300: '#8AAAE5',
    400: '#5E87D4',
    500: '#3C68B9',
    600: '#35548D',
    700: '#2B3F64',
    800: '#1F2B42',
    900: '#151C28',
  },
}

$base: #9BB8EE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F6FD;
$base-100: #DBE6FA;
$base-200: #B9CEF3;
$base-300: #8AAAE5;
$base-400: #5E87D4;
$base-500: #3C68B9;
$base-600: #35548D;
$base-700: #2B3F64;
$base-800: #1F2B42;
$base-900: #151C28;
$base-hover: #5888E3;
$base-subtle: #E4EBF7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BB8EE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F6FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBE6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9CEF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AAAE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5E87D4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3C68B9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#35548D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B3F64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F2B42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151C28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}