What color is #9EC5EA?

#9EC5EA is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(158, 197, 234), and in HSL hsl(209, 64%, 77%).

Is #9EC5EA accessible as text?

On white, #9EC5EA has a contrast ratio of 1.81:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.63:1 (passes). For text placed on #9EC5EA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9EC5EA?

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

What colors go well with #9EC5EA?

#9EC5EA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EAC39F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9EC5EA below.

Is #9EC5EA good for buttons?

#9EC5EA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9EC5EA — white text only reaches 1.81:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9EC5EA the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9EC5EA is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9EC5EA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9EC5EA

Not just a swatch — here's how #9EC5EA works with other colors. Named schemes with #9EC5EA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9EC5EA 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 #9EC5EA Accent #A5C4C0 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 #9EC5EA Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2823

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 #9EC5EA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C8ECFF

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 #9EC5EA Secondary #E2F0FD Support #969386 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 #9EC5EA 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 71/100

High

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

Depth 19/100

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 25/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 26/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 21/100

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 85/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9EC5EA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9EC5EA 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 10.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEF3F9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9FADEA — 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 #9EC5EA 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: #9EC5EA;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 197 234;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(80.8% 0.067 247.3);
  --color-50: #F2F8FD;
  --color-100: #DDEBF8;
  --color-200: #BCD7F0;
  --color-300: #8EB9E1;
  --color-400: #649BCE;
  --color-500: #427CB3;
  --color-600: #396289;
  --color-700: #2E4861;
  --color-800: #213140;
  --color-900: #161F27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FD',
    100: '#DDEBF8',
    200: '#BCD7F0',
    300: '#8EB9E1',
    400: '#649BCE',
    500: '#427CB3',
    600: '#396289',
    700: '#2E4861',
    800: '#213140',
    900: '#161F27',
  },
}

$base: #9EC5EA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FD;
$base-100: #DDEBF8;
$base-200: #BCD7F0;
$base-300: #8EB9E1;
$base-400: #649BCE;
$base-500: #427CB3;
$base-600: #396289;
$base-700: #2E4861;
$base-800: #213140;
$base-900: #161F27;
$base-hover: #5E9FDC;
$base-subtle: #E5EEF6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9EC5EA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDEBF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BCD7F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8EB9E1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#649BCE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#427CB3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#396289",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2E4861",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#213140",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161F27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}