What color is #A9C8DC?

#A9C8DC is a light, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Life at Sea. It belongs to the blue family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #A9C8DC?

The RGB value is 169, 200, 220: 169 red, 200 green and 220 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #A9C8DC?

The complementary color is #DCBDA9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #A9C8DC?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 11.98:1 and white text 1.75:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#A9C8DC color

#A9C8DC rgb(169, 200, 220)

Shades of blue

The hex color #A9C8DC is a light, desaturated azure.

In the RGB color model it is made of 66.3% red, 78.4% green and 86.3% blue (169, 200, 220).

Its hue angle is 204°, with 42% saturation and 76% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 23% cyan, 9% magenta, 0% yellow and 14% black.

The closest named color is Life at Sea (#AFC9DC), a difference of 1.5 ΔE, which is barely visible.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 11.98:1).

#A9C8DC color codes

HEX	`#A9C8DC`
RGB	`rgb(169, 200, 220)`
RGB percent	`rgb(66.3%, 78.4%, 86.3%)`
HSL	`hsl(204, 42%, 76%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(204, 23%, 86%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(23%, 9%, 0%, 14%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(78.99, -5.99, -13.38)`
CIE LCH	`lch(78.99, 14.66, 245.86)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(49.931, 54.909, 75.664)`
Decimal	`11127004`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #A9C8DC, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #A9C8DC	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	11.98:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.75:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#A9C8DC as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.75:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	11.98:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #A9C8DC looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #a9c8dc; }
.text { color: #a9c8dc; }
.border { border: 2px solid #a9c8dc; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(169 200 220 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #a9c8dc, #a9afdc); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Columbia Blue.

Questions

What color is #A9C8DC?: #A9C8DC is a light, desaturated azure, closest to the named color Life at Sea. It belongs to the blue family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #A9C8DC?: The RGB value is 169, 200, 220: 169 red, 200 green and 220 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #A9C8DC?: The complementary color is #DCBDA9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #A9C8DC?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 11.98:1 and white text 1.75:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.