#838996
Closest named color: Light Slate Gray (#778899). oklch(62.9% 0.021 265.9), rgb(131, 137, 150).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.98:1).
About this color
#838996 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 63%, its chroma 0.021. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Light Slate Gray (#778899), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.98:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (63%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.021) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Light Slate Gray (#778899) |
| Black text | 5.98:1 |
| White text | 3.50:1 |
Values
| HEX | #838996 |
| RGB | rgb(131, 137, 150) |
| HSL | hsl(221, 8%, 55%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(62.9% 0.021 265.9) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #838996 | 3.50:1 | AA large text | Lc -68.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #838996 | 5.98:1 | AA | Lc 41.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #838996 text on white | 3.50:1 | AA large text | Lc 62.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #838996 text on black | 5.98:1 | AA | Lc -39.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F5F6
oklch(97% 0.001 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAEC
oklch(93.7% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D9DD
oklch(88.5% 0.006 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BDC1C7
oklch(81% 0.01 258.3)
-
Step 400
400
#9CA1AB
oklch(70.8% 0.016 264.5)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#838996
oklch(62.9% 0.021 265.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6D7381
oklch(55.5% 0.023 267.1)
-
Step 700
700
#5B616D
oklch(49.2% 0.021 264.4)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4F59
oklch(42.7% 0.018 264.4)
-
Step 900
900
#3E4249
oklch(37.8% 0.013 261.7)
-
Step 950
950
#24262B
oklch(26.9% 0.01 268.3)
#838996 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #858A97 | 0.004 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #848896 | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #7F8B8D | 0.018 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #898989 | 0.021 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #838996
#838996
oklch(62.9% 0.021 265.9)
- #8F887B
#8F887B
oklch(62.9% 0.021 83)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #838996, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.018
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.025
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.026
- Silver Lake Blue #778DA9 ΔE 0.030
- Lavender Gray #7E7F9A ΔE 0.033
- Gray #808080 ΔE 0.036
- Purpley Grey #947E94 ΔE 0.037
- Warm Grey #978A84 ΔE 0.039
Use #838996 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.