What color is #9DCBD2?

#9DCBD2 is a light, soft cyan. In RGB it is rgb(157, 203, 210), and in HSL hsl(188, 37%, 72%).

Is #9DCBD2 accessible as text?

On white, #9DCBD2 has a contrast ratio of 1.76:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.91:1 (passes). For text placed on #9DCBD2, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9DCBD2?

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

What colors go well with #9DCBD2?

#9DCBD2 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D2A49D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9DCBD2 below.

Is #9DCBD2 good for buttons?

#9DCBD2 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9DCBD2 — white text only reaches 1.76:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9DCBD2 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9DCBD2 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9DCBD2 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9DCBD2

Not just a swatch — here's how #9DCBD2 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9DCBD2 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9DCBD2 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 #9DCBD2 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

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 #9DCBD2 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 #9DCBD2 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #C7F1F8

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 #9DCBD2 Secondary #E3F3F5 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 #9DCBD2 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 4/100

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 #9DCBD2

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9DCBD2 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 #EDF4F5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9DB9D2 — 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 #9DCBD2 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #9DCBD2;
  --color-base-rgb: 157 203 210;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.2% 0.049 207.7);
  --color-50: #F4FAFA;
  --color-100: #E3F0F3;
  --color-200: #C7E1E5;
  --color-300: #A0C9CF;
  --color-400: #7AAFB8;
  --color-500: #5A929B;
  --color-600: #4A7278;
  --color-700: #385256;
  --color-800: #283739;
  --color-900: #1A2224;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4FAFA',
    100: '#E3F0F3',
    200: '#C7E1E5',
    300: '#A0C9CF',
    400: '#7AAFB8',
    500: '#5A929B',
    600: '#4A7278',
    700: '#385256',
    800: '#283739',
    900: '#1A2224',
  },
}

$base: #9DCBD2;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4FAFA;
$base-100: #E3F0F3;
$base-200: #C7E1E5;
$base-300: #A0C9CF;
$base-400: #7AAFB8;
$base-500: #5A929B;
$base-600: #4A7278;
$base-700: #385256;
$base-800: #283739;
$base-900: #1A2224;
$base-hover: #6BB0BB;
$base-subtle: #E4EEF0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9DCBD2",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4FAFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3F0F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C7E1E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0C9CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7AAFB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5A929B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A7278",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#385256",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283739",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2224",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9DCBD2

Color Lab

Pairs with #9DCBD2

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export