Exploring the Color #9CA6E0

#9CA6E0 sits at 231° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 52% saturation and 75% lightness, it reads as a moderately saturated, very light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 156, 166, 224 produces a 8.94:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #9CA6E0 is a clear variant of CSS sky blue — about 46 units away from #87CEEB. Designers reach for blue hues at this saturation when the brief calls for a conversational, mid-energy register, and at this lightness when they want lift, air, and gentle emphasis. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades