#a9bdf8
a light, electric blue · cool · closest name: Light Steel Blue
Token name suggestion: Morning Cobalt
#a9bdf8 is a light electric blue, 225° on the wheel and 92/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (11.32:1). As text it scores 1.85:1 on white — use #3D6AEF instead. Nearest name is Light Steel Blue, nearest Tailwind family is sky.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #a9bdf8 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #a9bdf8.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #a9bdf8 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #a9bdf8ff |
| RGB | rgb(169, 189, 248) |
| RGBA | rgba(169, 189, 248, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 85%, 82%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(225, 32%, 97%) |
| HWB | hwb(225 66% 3%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(32%, 24%, 0%, 3%) |
| LAB | lab(77.0 6.6 -31.4) |
| LCH | lch(77.0 32.1 281.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.804 0.087 269.9) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(51.50, 51.61, 96.04) |
| Decimal | 11124216 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.663 0.741 0.973) |
| Web-safe | #99CCFF |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #a9bdf8;
background-color: #a9bdf8;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #a9bdf8;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#a9bdf8] bg-[#a9bdf8]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #a9bdf8;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.663, green: 0.741, blue: 0.973)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.663, green: 0.741, blue: 0.973, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#A9BDF8</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFA9BDF8)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFA9BDF8)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(248, 189, 169)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(169, 189, 248)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(169, 189, 248)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 169, 189, 248)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.6627f, 0.7412f, 0.9725f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{169,189,248}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #a9bdf8 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #a9bdf8 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#0A2576, #D3DAEE); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #a9bdf8 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F2F5FC;
--brand-100: #E5EBFA;
--brand-200: #C5D2F7;
--brand-300: #a9bdf8;
--brand-400: #6388F2;
--brand-500: #3060EE;
--brand-600: #1247E2;
--brand-700: #0F3BBD;
--brand-800: #0C2F97;
--brand-900: #0D266D;
--brand-950: #081844;
--brand: #a9bdf8;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #F4F6FA;
--brand-border: #C0CBED;
--brand-hover: #88A4F5;
--brand-pressed: #678AF3;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #141824;
--brand-ink: #D3DAEE;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F2F5FC',
100: '#E5EBFA',
200: '#C5D2F7',
300: '#a9bdf8',
400: '#6388F2',
500: '#3060EE',
600: '#1247E2',
700: '#0F3BBD',
800: '#0C2F97',
900: '#0D266D',
950: '#081844',
DEFAULT: '#a9bdf8',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F2F5FC,
'100': #E5EBFA,
'200': #C5D2F7,
'300': #a9bdf8,
'400': #6388F2,
'500': #3060EE,
'600': #1247E2,
'700': #0F3BBD,
'800': #0C2F97,
'900': #0D266D,
'950': #081844,
);
$brand-base: #a9bdf8;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F2F5FC", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#E5EBFA", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#C5D2F7", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#a9bdf8", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#6388F2", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#3060EE", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#1247E2", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#0F3BBD", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#0C2F97", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#0D266D", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#081844", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #6C8EF3 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #a9bdf8 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #a9bdf8.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 1.85:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 1.77:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 1.69:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 1.50:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.25:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.38:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 2.57:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 4.09:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 5.58:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 7.89:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 9.62:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 11.32:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #a9bdf8 is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.022 269.9);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.035 269.9);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.052 269.9);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.068 269.9);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.080 269.9);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.087 269.9);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.087 269.9);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.082 269.9);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.073 269.9);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.061 269.9);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.048 269.9);
}Colors that work with #a9bdf8
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #a9bdf8
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed.
At this chroma the association is amplified — it will dominate anything placed beside it, so give it space and use it sparingly. The lightness keeps it airy and approachable.
It is also the most crowded hue on the web. Distinctiveness has to come from your other choices.
- FormalityLow
- EnergyHigh
- Weight18/100
- TemperatureCool
- ApproachabilityReserved
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #F8E4A9 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #A9E5F8 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #BDA9F8 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #F8BDA9 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #E5F8A9 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #F8A9BD | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #BDF8A9 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #F8A9E5 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#a9bdf8 sits at 225°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 58%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#a9bdf8 text on a black background
contrast 11.32:1
#a9bdf8 text on a white background
contrast 1.85:1
#a9bdf8 on grey
1.69:1
#a9bdf8 on its own surface
1.71:1
#a9bdf8 on its dark surface
9.55:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #a9bdf8;
background-color: #a9bdf8;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #a9bdf8;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(169, 189, 248, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(169, 189, 248, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #a9bdf8; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #a9bdf8, #CAA9F8);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #a9bdf8, #DDA9F8); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #a9bdf8; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #a9bdf8; caret-color: #a9bdf8;
border-left: 4px solid #a9bdf8;
background: #E7EDFD; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #a9bdf8;
background: conic-gradient(#a9bdf8 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #a9bdf8 over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(169, 189, 248, 0.5) rgb(169 189 248 / 50%) #a9bdf880 hsl(225 85% 82% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #a9bdf8 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #a9bdf81a | #F6F8FE |
| 20% | #a9bdf833 | #EEF2FE |
| 40% | #a9bdf866 | #DDE5FC |
| 60% | #a9bdf899 | #CBD7FB |
| 80% | #a9bdf8cc | #BACAF9 |
Gradients from #a9bdf8
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E2E9FD, #a9bdf8 45%, #0A2576);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #a9bdf8, #C18DF6);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #a9bdf8, #F8E4A9);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #F1F4FE 0%, #a9bdf8 45%, #0A2576 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F4F6FA, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #D8F6FC 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D7C5FA 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #0A2576 0%, transparent 65%), #a9bdf8;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #a9bdf8
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Periwinkle (#ccccff) — ΔE2000 7.9 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#a9bdf8 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Sits outside most CMYK gamuts — expect a duller press result, or specify a spot ink.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 11.32:1.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#a9bdf8, answered
What color is #a9bdf8?
#a9bdf8 is a light electric blue, closest to Light Steel Blue (ΔE2000 7.1). It sits at 225° on the hue wheel with 85% saturation and 82% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #a9bdf8?
rgb(169, 189, 248) — 169 red, 189 green and 248 blue out of 255, or 66.3% / 74.1% / 97.3% by channel.
What is #a9bdf8 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(225, 85%, 82%) and hsv(225, 32%, 97%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #a9bdf8 a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.5161 and perceived brightness is 75%, so black text on it reaches 11.32:1.
Should I use black or white text on #a9bdf8?
Black. It scores 11.32:1 against #a9bdf8, versus 1.85:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #a9bdf8 accessible on a white background?
#a9bdf8 on white scores 1.85:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #3D6AEF to reach 4.5:1, or #1245DD for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #a9bdf8?
#F8E4A9 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #F8BDA9 and #E5F8A9, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #a9bdf8?
For interface work: #F4F6FA as the surface, #C0CBED for borders, #4B5F9B for secondary text, #C1650B as an accent and #0A2576 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #A9E5F8 and #BDA9F8 stays calm, while #F8E4A9 is the loudest partner.
What is #a9bdf8 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(32%, 24%, 0%, 3%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — a color this saturated sits outside most CMYK gamuts and will print duller than it looks here.
Is #a9bdf8 warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 92 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #B2A9F8; nudged cooler, #A8C9F9.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #a9bdf8?
The sky family — its 500 step is #0ea5e9, ΔE2000 19 away. That is a visible difference, so define #a9bdf8 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #a9bdf8 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#a9bdf8] or text-[#a9bdf8], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #a9bdf8 with 50% opacity?
rgba(169, 189, 248, 0.5), or #a9bdf880 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #D4DEFC; over black, #555F7C.
Is #a9bdf8 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #99CCFF, ΔE2000 8.2 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #a9bdf8 mean?
As a blue, it reads trusted, calm, competent. The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed. At this chroma the effect is amplified — it will dominate whatever sits beside it.
What gradient works with #a9bdf8?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E2E9FD, #a9bdf8 45%, #0A2576). For more colour, a short hue run to #C18DF6 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #a9bdf8 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #a9bdf8 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.