What color is #9CBAE8?

#9CBAE8 is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(156, 186, 232), and in HSL hsl(216, 62%, 76%).

Is #9CBAE8 accessible as text?

On white, #9CBAE8 has a contrast ratio of 1.98:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.60:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CBAE8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CBAE8?

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

What colors go well with #9CBAE8?

#9CBAE8 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E8C99C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9CBAE8 below.

Is #9CBAE8 good for buttons?

#9CBAE8 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9CBAE8 — white text only reaches 1.98:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9CBAE8 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9CBAE8 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9CBAE8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9CBAE8

Not just a swatch — here's how #9CBAE8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9CBAE8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9CBAE8 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 #9CBAE8 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 #9CBAE8 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 #9CBAE8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C5E1FF

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 #9CBAE8 Secondary #DBE6F7 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.

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Color Lab

How #9CBAE8 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 31/100

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 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 28/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 28/100

Low

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

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 85/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9CBAE8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CBAE8 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 9.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF2F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9CA1E8 — 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 #9CBAE8 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: #9CBAE8;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 186 232;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(78.3% 0.074 258.8);
  --color-50: #F2F6FD;
  --color-100: #DDE8F8;
  --color-200: #BDD1EF;
  --color-300: #90B0E0;
  --color-400: #668FCC;
  --color-500: #446FB1;
  --color-600: #3A5987;
  --color-700: #2E4260;
  --color-800: #222D3F;
  --color-900: #161D27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F6FD',
    100: '#DDE8F8',
    200: '#BDD1EF',
    300: '#90B0E0',
    400: '#668FCC',
    500: '#446FB1',
    600: '#3A5987',
    700: '#2E4260',
    800: '#222D3F',
    900: '#161D27',
  },
}

$base: #9CBAE8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F6FD;
$base-100: #DDE8F8;
$base-200: #BDD1EF;
$base-300: #90B0E0;
$base-400: #668FCC;
$base-500: #446FB1;
$base-600: #3A5987;
$base-700: #2E4260;
$base-800: #222D3F;
$base-900: #161D27;
$base-hover: #5D8FD9;
$base-subtle: #E4EBF5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CBAE8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F6FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDE8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BDD1EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#90B0E0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#668FCC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#446FB1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3A5987",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2E4260",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#222D3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161D27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}