What color is #9FC4DB?

#9FC4DB is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(159, 196, 219), and in HSL hsl(203, 45%, 74%).

Is #9FC4DB accessible as text?

On white, #9FC4DB has a contrast ratio of 1.84:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.39:1 (passes). For text placed on #9FC4DB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9FC4DB?

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

What colors go well with #9FC4DB?

#9FC4DB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DBB69F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9FC4DB below.

Is #9FC4DB good for buttons?

#9FC4DB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9FC4DB — white text only reaches 1.84:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9FC4DB the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9FC4DB is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#9FC4DB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9FC4DB

Not just a swatch — here's how #9FC4DB works with other colors. Named schemes with #9FC4DB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9FC4DB 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 #9FC4DB Accent #A6C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #9FC4DB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 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 #9FC4DB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C8EBFF

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 #9FC4DB Secondary #E1EEF6 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 #9FC4DB 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 35/100

Cool

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

Softness 73/100

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 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 20/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 20/100

Low

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

Surface fit 66/100

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 #9FC4DB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9FC4DB with

Seafoam Iceberg Dusty Rose 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 10.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF3F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9FB0DB — 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 #9FC4DB 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: #9FC4DB;
  --color-base-rgb: 159 196 219;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(80.1% 0.051 235.6);
  --color-50: #F4F8FB;
  --color-100: #E1EDF4;
  --color-200: #C4DAE8;
  --color-300: #9BBED5;
  --color-400: #74A2BE;
  --color-500: #5384A2;
  --color-600: #45677D;
  --color-700: #354C5A;
  --color-800: #26333B;
  --color-900: #192025;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F8FB',
    100: '#E1EDF4',
    200: '#C4DAE8',
    300: '#9BBED5',
    400: '#74A2BE',
    500: '#5384A2',
    600: '#45677D',
    700: '#354C5A',
    800: '#26333B',
    900: '#192025',
  },
}

$base: #9FC4DB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FB;
$base-100: #E1EDF4;
$base-200: #C4DAE8;
$base-300: #9BBED5;
$base-400: #74A2BE;
$base-500: #5384A2;
$base-600: #45677D;
$base-700: #354C5A;
$base-800: #26333B;
$base-900: #192025;
$base-hover: #68A2C6;
$base-subtle: #E4EDF2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9FC4DB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EDF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4DAE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9BBED5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#74A2BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5384A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#45677D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#354C5A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26333B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192025",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9FC4DB

Color Lab

Pairs with #9FC4DB

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export