Exploring the Color #A9CAE7

#A9CAE7 sits at 208° on the color wheel, placing it in the azure family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 56% saturation and 78% 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 169, 202, 231 produces a 12.29:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #A9CAE7 is a clear variant of CSS sky blue — about 34 units away from #87CEEB. Designers reach for azure 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