What color is #A9CEED?

#A9CEED is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(169, 206, 237), and in HSL hsl(207, 65%, 80%).

Is #A9CEED accessible as text?

On white, #A9CEED has a contrast ratio of 1.65:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.74:1 (passes). For text placed on #A9CEED, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A9CEED?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-200 (#C6D2FF).

What colors go well with #A9CEED?

#A9CEED pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EDC9AB. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #A9CEED below.

Is #A9CEED good for buttons?

#A9CEED works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #A9CEED — white text only reaches 1.65:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #A9CEED the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #A9CEED is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#A9CEED Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A9CEED

Not just a swatch — here's how #A9CEED works with other colors. Named schemes with #A9CEED in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #A9CEED 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 #A9CEED Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 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 #A9CEED 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 #A9CEED Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D3F5FF

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 #A9CEED Secondary #ECF9FF 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 #A9CEED 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 75/100

High

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

Depth 16/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 22/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very 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 86/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #A9CEED

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A9CEED 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 11.3:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #ABB9ED — 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 #A9CEED 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: #A9CEED;
  --color-base-rgb: 169 206 237;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(83.5% 0.059 243.8);
  --color-50: #F2F8FD;
  --color-100: #DDECF9;
  --color-200: #BCD9F1;
  --color-300: #8EBCE2;
  --color-400: #639ECF;
  --color-500: #4180B4;
  --color-600: #386589;
  --color-700: #2D4A62;
  --color-800: #213240;
  --color-900: #161F27;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F2F8FD',
    100: '#DDECF9',
    200: '#BCD9F1',
    300: '#8EBCE2',
    400: '#639ECF',
    500: '#4180B4',
    600: '#386589',
    700: '#2D4A62',
    800: '#213240',
    900: '#161F27',
  },
}

$base: #A9CEED;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2F8FD;
$base-100: #DDECF9;
$base-200: #BCD9F1;
$base-300: #8EBCE2;
$base-400: #639ECF;
$base-500: #4180B4;
$base-600: #386589;
$base-700: #2D4A62;
$base-800: #213240;
$base-900: #161F27;
$base-hover: #68A9DF;
$base-subtle: #E8F0F7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A9CEED",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2F8FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDECF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BCD9F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8EBCE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#639ECF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4180B4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#386589",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2D4A62",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#213240",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#161F27",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #A9CEED

Color Lab

Pairs with #A9CEED

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export