What color is #9BBDCD?

#9BBDCD is a light, muted cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(155, 189, 205), and in HSL hsl(199, 33%, 71%).

Is #9BBDCD accessible as text?

On white, #9BBDCD has a contrast ratio of 1.99:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.55:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BBDCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BBDCD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-400 (#9CA8AB).

What colors go well with #9BBDCD?

#9BBDCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CDAC9D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9BBDCD below.

Is #9BBDCD good for buttons?

#9BBDCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9BBDCD — white text only reaches 1.99:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9BBDCD the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

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

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

Palettes built on #9BBDCD

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BBDCD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Light Steel 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 #9BBDCD Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Light Steel 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 #9BBDCD Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Light Steel 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 #9BBDCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C4E3F2

Light Steel 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 Light Steel Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9BBDCD Secondary #DAE6EC Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Light Steel 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 Light Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9BBDCD 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 37/100

Cool

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

Softness 73/100

High

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

Depth 21/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 66/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 89/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9BBDCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BBDCD with

Powder Blue Cadet Grey Dusty Rose Platinum 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 #EDF1F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9DAECD — 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 #9BBDCD 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: #9BBDCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 189 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.9% 0.043 228.1);
  --color-50: #F5F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3EDF2;
  --color-200: #C9DBE4;
  --color-300: #A2BFCD;
  --color-400: #7EA3B4;
  --color-500: #5D8597;
  --color-600: #4C6875;
  --color-700: #3A4C55;
  --color-800: #293338;
  --color-900: #1A2023;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F5F8FA',
    100: '#E3EDF2',
    200: '#C9DBE4',
    300: '#A2BFCD',
    400: '#7EA3B4',
    500: '#5D8597',
    600: '#4C6875',
    700: '#3A4C55',
    800: '#293338',
    900: '#1A2023',
  },
}

$base: #9BBDCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F8FA;
$base-100: #E3EDF2;
$base-200: #C9DBE4;
$base-300: #A2BFCD;
$base-400: #7EA3B4;
$base-500: #5D8597;
$base-600: #4C6875;
$base-700: #3A4C55;
$base-800: #293338;
$base-900: #1A2023;
$base-hover: #6C9EB5;
$base-subtle: #E3EBEE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BBDCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EDF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C9DBE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A2BFCD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7EA3B4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5D8597",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4C6875",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3A4C55",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293338",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2023",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}