#98EFF9Permafrost (#98EFF9) is a very light, soft sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 205°, lightness 0.9 and chroma 0.085. 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 | #98EFF9 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(152, 239, 249) |
| HSL | hsl(186, 89%, 79%) |
| HSV | hsv(186, 39%, 98%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(39%, 4%, 0%, 2%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(89.5 -23.7 -13.1) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.900 0.085 205) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Permafrost shifts subtly: drifts toward blue-green, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it shifts subtly: leans toward blue. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.5), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#a9eae9 — ΔE 2.5, shifts subtly: drifts toward blue-green, loses intensity#a3f0f4 — ΔE 1.3, shifts subtly: drifts toward blue-green#98eff9 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#97f0fc — ΔE 0.4, shifts subtly: leans toward blueTest Permafrost 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 1.31:1 and against black 16.05:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
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.
#98eff9 · #86d9e3 · #65b0b9 · #448990 · #25636a · #004046
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.
#98eff9 · #8dd7f0 · #88c0e3 · #84a8d2 · #8191be · #7c7ba7
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.
#98eff9 · #adbfda · #65acb4 · #5f82b3 · #2b6f76 · #384961
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.
#98eff9 · #a9c0c2 · #b7756f · #376065 · #1c4145 · #0c2326
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#98eff9 · #c9bebd · #7c8a8c · #564f4f · #152426 · #020000
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.
#fbeeed · #d4c6c4 · #a99997 · #32201e · #0e0202 · #98eff9
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#98eff9 · #bbd3b4 · #f42f45 · #4b6681 · #452c3f · #1f0615
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#98eff9 · #d1bbb9 · #a87689 · #74431e · #3a0f23 · #170500
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#98eff9 · #cabcca · #9c799e · #664d09 · #2d1e00 · #030004
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#98eff9 · #c2bed0 · #8a7fac · #793d39 · #202400 · #060000
#A6F1FA · #B3F3FA · #C0F5FB · #CCF7FC · #D8F8FC
#75C4CD · #539AA2 · #33737A · #114D53 · #002A2E
#AAECF3 · #B9E8EE · #C8E5E8
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.