What color is #9EC1E6?

#9EC1E6 is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(158, 193, 230), and in HSL hsl(211, 59%, 76%).

Is #9EC1E6 accessible as text?

On white, #9EC1E6 has a contrast ratio of 1.87:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.22:1 (passes). For text placed on #9EC1E6, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9EC1E6?

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

What colors go well with #9EC1E6?

#9EC1E6 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E6C39E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9EC1E6 below.

Is #9EC1E6 good for buttons?

#9EC1E6 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9EC1E6 — white text only reaches 1.87:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9EC1E6 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9EC1E6 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9EC1E6 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9EC1E6

Not just a swatch — here's how #9EC1E6 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9EC1E6 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9EC1E6 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 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 #9EC1E6 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 #9EC1E6 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 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 #9EC1E6 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C7E8FF

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 #9EC1E6 Secondary #E0ECFA Support #959386 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 #9EC1E6 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 32/100

Cool

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

Softness 71/100

High

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

Depth 20/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 26/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 61/100

High

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

Print safety 86/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9EC1E6

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9EC1E6 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 9.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEF3F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9EA9E6 — 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 #9EC1E6 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: #9EC1E6;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 193 230;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(79.8% 0.065 250.1);
  --color-50: #F2F7FC;
  --color-100: #DEEAF7;
  --color-200: #BED5EE;
  --color-300: #92B6DE;
  --color-400: #6897CA;
  --color-500: #4679AE;
  --color-600: #3C6086;
  --color-700: #30475F;
  --color-800: #22303F;
  --color-900: #171E27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F7FC',
    100: '#DEEAF7',
    200: '#BED5EE',
    300: '#92B6DE',
    400: '#6897CA',
    500: '#4679AE',
    600: '#3C6086',
    700: '#30475F',
    800: '#22303F',
    900: '#171E27',
  },
}

$base: #9EC1E6;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F7FC;
$base-100: #DEEAF7;
$base-200: #BED5EE;
$base-300: #92B6DE;
$base-400: #6897CA;
$base-500: #4679AE;
$base-600: #3C6086;
$base-700: #30475F;
$base-800: #22303F;
$base-900: #171E27;
$base-hover: #6099D6;
$base-subtle: #E4ECF5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9EC1E6",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F7FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEEAF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BED5EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#92B6DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6897CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4679AE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3C6086",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#30475F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#22303F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171E27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}