What color is #9CD5EF?

#9CD5EF is a light, vivid cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(156, 213, 239), and in HSL hsl(199, 72%, 77%).

Is #9CD5EF accessible as text?

On white, #9CD5EF has a contrast ratio of 1.59:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 13.18:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CD5EF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CD5EF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is sky-300 (#74D4FF).

What colors go well with #9CD5EF?

#9CD5EF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EFB59A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9CD5EF below.

Is #9CD5EF good for buttons?

#9CD5EF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9CD5EF — white text only reaches 1.59:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9CD5EF the same as CSS lightblue?

No — #9CD5EF is not the CSS named color lightblue, but lightblue (#ADD8E6) is the closest CSS named color.

#9CD5EF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9CD5EF

Not just a swatch — here's how #9CD5EF works with other colors. Named schemes with #9CD5EF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9CD5EF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Light 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 #9CD5EF Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Light 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 #9CD5EF Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Light 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 #9CD5EF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C8FCFF

Light 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 Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9CD5EF Secondary #EAFDFF Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Light 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 Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9CD5EF 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 30/100

Cool

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

Softness 74/100

High

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

Depth 15/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 22/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 64/100

High

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

Print safety 82/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9CD5EF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CD5EF with

Pale Turquoise Iceberg Melon 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 11.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF5F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9AB8EF — 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 #9CD5EF at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #9CD5EF;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 213 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(84.3% 0.069 227.9);
  --color-50: #F1FAFD;
  --color-100: #DBF0FA;
  --color-200: #B9E1F3;
  --color-300: #89C9E6;
  --color-400: #5DAFD5;
  --color-500: #3B92BA;
  --color-600: #34718E;
  --color-700: #2A5264;
  --color-800: #1F3742;
  --color-900: #152228;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-blue: {
    50: '#F1FAFD',
    100: '#DBF0FA',
    200: '#B9E1F3',
    300: '#89C9E6',
    400: '#5DAFD5',
    500: '#3B92BA',
    600: '#34718E',
    700: '#2A5264',
    800: '#1F3742',
    900: '#152228',
  },
}

$base: #9CD5EF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FAFD;
$base-100: #DBF0FA;
$base-200: #B9E1F3;
$base-300: #89C9E6;
$base-400: #5DAFD5;
$base-500: #3B92BA;
$base-600: #34718E;
$base-700: #2A5264;
$base-800: #1F3742;
$base-900: #152228;
$base-hover: #57B7E4;
$base-subtle: #E4F1F7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CD5EF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF0FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9E1F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#89C9E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5DAFD5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3B92BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#34718E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A5264",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3742",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152228",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9CD5EF

Color Lab

Pairs with #9CD5EF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export