What color is #A9CAEE?

#A9CAEE is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(169, 202, 238), and in HSL hsl(211, 67%, 80%).

Is #A9CAEE accessible as text?

On white, #A9CAEE has a contrast ratio of 1.70:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.37:1 (passes). For text placed on #A9CAEE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A9CAEE?

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

What colors go well with #A9CAEE?

#A9CAEE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EECDAA. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #A9CAEE below.

Is #A9CAEE good for buttons?

#A9CAEE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #A9CAEE — white text only reaches 1.70:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #A9CAEE the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #A9CAEE is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#A9CAEE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A9CAEE

Not just a swatch — here's how #A9CAEE works with other colors. Named schemes with #A9CAEE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #A9CAEE 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 #A9CAEE 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 #A9CAEE 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 #A9CAEE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D3F1FF

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 #A9CAEE Secondary #EAF6FF 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #A9CAEE 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 33/100

Cool

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

Softness 74/100

High

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

Depth 17/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 23/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 17/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 65/100

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 #A9CAEE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A9CAEE 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 10.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F5FA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #AAB4EE — 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 #A9CAEE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

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: #A9CAEE;
  --color-base-rgb: 169 202 238;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(82.7% 0.062 250.8);
  --color-50: #F2F7FD;
  --color-100: #DCEAF9;
  --color-200: #BBD5F1;
  --color-300: #8CB6E3;
  --color-400: #6297D0;
  --color-500: #3F78B5;
  --color-600: #37608B;
  --color-700: #2C4662;
  --color-800: #203041;
  --color-900: #161E28;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F7FD',
    100: '#DCEAF9',
    200: '#BBD5F1',
    300: '#8CB6E3',
    400: '#6297D0',
    500: '#3F78B5',
    600: '#37608B',
    700: '#2C4662',
    800: '#203041',
    900: '#161E28',
  },
}

$base: #A9CAEE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F7FD;
$base-100: #DCEAF9;
$base-200: #BBD5F1;
$base-300: #8CB6E3;
$base-400: #6297D0;
$base-500: #3F78B5;
$base-600: #37608B;
$base-700: #2C4662;
$base-800: #203041;
$base-900: #161E28;
$base-hover: #66A1E1;
$base-subtle: #E8EFF7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A9CAEE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F7FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCEAF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBD5F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8CB6E3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6297D0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3F78B5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#37608B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C4662",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203041",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161E28",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #A9CAEE

Color Lab

Pairs with #A9CAEE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export