What color is #9DCAD3?

#9DCAD3 is a light, soft cyan. In RGB it is rgb(157, 202, 211), and in HSL hsl(190, 38%, 72%).

Is #9DCAD3 accessible as text?

On white, #9DCAD3 has a contrast ratio of 1.78:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.82:1 (passes). For text placed on #9DCAD3, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9DCAD3?

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

What colors go well with #9DCAD3?

#9DCAD3 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D3A69C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9DCAD3 below.

Is #9DCAD3 good for buttons?

#9DCAD3 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9DCAD3 — white text only reaches 1.78:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9DCAD3 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9DCAD3 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9DCAD3 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9DCAD3

Not just a swatch — here's how #9DCAD3 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9DCAD3 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9DCAD3 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 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 #9DCAD3 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

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 #9DCAD3 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F 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 #9DCAD3 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C7F0F9

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 #9DCAD3 Secondary #E2F2F5 Support #979286 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 #9DCAD3 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 36/100

Cool

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

Softness 75/100

High

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

Depth 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 3/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 24/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 18/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 67/100

High

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

Print safety 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9DCAD3

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9DCAD3 with

Seafoam Cadet Grey Dusty Rose Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 10.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF3F5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9CB8D3 — 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 #9DCAD3 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: #9DCAD3;
  --color-base-rgb: 157 202 211;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.0% 0.049 211.2);
  --color-50: #F4F9FB;
  --color-100: #E2F0F3;
  --color-200: #C7E0E6;
  --color-300: #9FC8D0;
  --color-400: #7AAEB8;
  --color-500: #59919C;
  --color-600: #497179;
  --color-700: #385257;
  --color-800: #27373A;
  --color-900: #192224;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F9FB',
    100: '#E2F0F3',
    200: '#C7E0E6',
    300: '#9FC8D0',
    400: '#7AAEB8',
    500: '#59919C',
    600: '#497179',
    700: '#385257',
    800: '#27373A',
    900: '#192224',
  },
}

$base: #9DCAD3;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FB;
$base-100: #E2F0F3;
$base-200: #C7E0E6;
$base-300: #9FC8D0;
$base-400: #7AAEB8;
$base-500: #59919C;
$base-600: #497179;
$base-700: #385257;
$base-800: #27373A;
$base-900: #192224;
$base-hover: #6AAEBC;
$base-subtle: #E3EEF0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9DCAD3",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2F0F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C7E0E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9FC8D0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7AAEB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#59919C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#497179",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#385257",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27373A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192224",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9DCAD3

Color Lab

Pairs with #9DCAD3

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export