#8E8996
Closest named color: Warm Grey (#978A84). oklch(63.9% 0.02 303.2), rgb(142, 137, 150).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.16:1).
About this color
#8E8996 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 64%, its chroma 0.020. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Warm Grey (#978A84), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 6.16:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (64%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.020) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Warm Grey (#978A84) |
| Black text | 6.16:1 |
| White text | 3.40:1 |
Values
| HEX | #8E8996 |
| RGB | rgb(142, 137, 150) |
| HSL | hsl(263, 6%, 56%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(63.9% 0.02 303.2) |
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 #8E8996 | 3.40:1 | AA large text | Lc -67.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #8E8996 | 6.16:1 | AA | Lc 42.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #8E8996 text on white | 3.40:1 | AA large text | Lc 61.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #8E8996 text on black | 6.16:1 | AA | Lc -40.1 | 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
#EAE9EB
oklch(93.5% 0.003 308.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DAD8DC
oklch(88.5% 0.006 308.4)
-
Step 300
300
#C2BFC6
oklch(80.9% 0.01 305.4)
-
Step 400
400
#A29EA9
oklch(70.6% 0.016 302.4)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#8E8996
oklch(63.9% 0.02 303.2)
-
Step 600
600
#76707E
oklch(55.5% 0.022 305)
-
Step 700
700
#635E6A
oklch(49.1% 0.02 304.5)
-
Step 800
800
#514D57
oklch(42.8% 0.017 303.8)
-
Step 900
900
#434047
oklch(37.7% 0.012 305.1)
-
Step 950
950
#27252A
oklch(26.9% 0.01 303.8)
#8E8996 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) | #878B97 | 0.011 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #888B96 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8D8B8D | 0.017 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #8B8B8B | 0.020 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #8E8996
#8E8996
oklch(63.9% 0.02 303.2)
- #898E81
#898E81
oklch(63.9% 0.02 124.2)
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 #8E8996, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Warm Grey #978A84 ΔE 0.030
- Purpley Grey #947E94 ΔE 0.030
- English Lavender #9D8189 ΔE 0.031
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.033
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.037
- Silver Lake Blue #778DA9 ΔE 0.039
- Lavender Gray #7E7F9A ΔE 0.041
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.041
Use #8E8996 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.