What color is #9BBDED?

#9BBDED is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(155, 189, 237), and in HSL hsl(215, 69%, 77%).

Is #9BBDED accessible as text?

On white, #9BBDED has a contrast ratio of 1.93:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.90:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BBDED, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BBDED?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is blue-300 (#8EC5FF).

What colors go well with #9BBDED?

#9BBDED pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EDCB9C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9BBDED below.

Is #9BBDED good for buttons?

#9BBDED works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9BBDED — white text only reaches 1.93:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9BBDED the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

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

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

Palettes built on #9BBDED

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BBDED Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #9BBDED Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #9BBDED Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B1B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #9BBDED Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C4E4FF

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 #9BBDED Secondary #DDE9FB Support #9D8F89 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 #9BBDED 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 68/100

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 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 30/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 56/100

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 #9BBDED

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BBDED 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 9.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF2F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9CA3ED — 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 #9BBDED 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: #9BBDED;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 189 237;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(79.1% 0.078 257.0);
  --color-50: #F2F6FD;
  --color-100: #DCE8F9;
  --color-200: #BAD2F2;
  --color-300: #8BB0E4;
  --color-400: #608FD2;
  --color-500: #3E70B7;
  --color-600: #365A8C;
  --color-700: #2C4363;
  --color-800: #202E41;
  --color-900: #151D28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F6FD',
    100: '#DCE8F9',
    200: '#BAD2F2',
    300: '#8BB0E4',
    400: '#608FD2',
    500: '#3E70B7',
    600: '#365A8C',
    700: '#2C4363',
    800: '#202E41',
    900: '#151D28',
  },
}

$base: #9BBDED;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F6FD;
$base-100: #DCE8F9;
$base-200: #BAD2F2;
$base-300: #8BB0E4;
$base-400: #608FD2;
$base-500: #3E70B7;
$base-600: #365A8C;
$base-700: #2C4363;
$base-800: #202E41;
$base-900: #151D28;
$base-hover: #5A92E1;
$base-subtle: #E4ECF7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BBDED",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F6FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCE8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BAD2F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8BB0E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#608FD2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3E70B7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#365A8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C4363",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#202E41",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151D28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}