#009DC4Blue Ocean (#009DC4) is a mid-tone, soft sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 224°, lightness 0.65 and chroma 0.121. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #009DC4 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(0, 157, 196) |
| HSL | hsl(192, 100%, 38%) |
| HSV | hsv(192, 100%, 77%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(100%, 20%, 0%, 23%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(60 -20.4 -29.7) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.646 0.121 224) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Blue Ocean shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.1), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#339ab8 — ΔE 2.1, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green, loses intensity#239ec0 — ΔE 1.0, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#009dc4 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#009ec7 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchangedTest Blue Ocean in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 3.17:1 and against black 6.62:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#c5efff · #6bcdf0 · #009dc4 · #007f9f · #005971 · #003545
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#62c6c2 · #36b3c3 · #009dc4 · #2f84b8 · #406ca5 · #47558f
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#a2aad4 · #009dc4 · #007d9c · #434b96 · #004053 · #191c40
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#a3ddf4 · #98b6c1 · #009dc4 · #a6532d · #245667 · #173742
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#fceee9 · #9aadb5 · #009dc4 · #7b716d · #1f333b · #040100
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#fcefe9 · #d6c7c1 · #ac9b95 · #38251d · #150401 · #009dc4
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d8ddb8 · #fab362 · #009dc4 · #6974a6 · #563537 · #051414
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffeee7 · #e09098 · #009dc4 · #9c6700 · #581020 · #120600
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffebf6 · #d591b9 · #009dc4 · #807600 · #363100 · #060003
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#f8edff · #c098d5 · #009dc4 · #ac5933 · #1b3900 · #210400
#45ADCF · #69BCDA · #88CCE5 · #A5DBF0 · #C2EBFB
#0081A2 · #006681 · #004C61 · #003444 · #001E28
#419BB9 · #5D98AD · #7194A2
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.