#9BA0AF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(70.7% 0.023 271.1), rgb(155, 160, 175).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.04:1).
About this color
#9BA0AF is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 71%, its chroma 0.023. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.04:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (71%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.023) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.04:1 |
| White text | 2.61:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BA0AF |
| RGB | rgb(155, 160, 175) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 11%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(70.7% 0.023 271.1) |
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 #9BA0AF | 2.61:1 | Fails | Lc -56.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BA0AF | 8.04:1 | AAA | Lc 53.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9BA0AF text on white | 2.61:1 | Fails | Lc 51.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9BA0AF text on black | 8.04:1 | AAA | Lc -50.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F5F7
oklch(97.1% 0.003 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAED
oklch(93.7% 0.004 271.4)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D9DE
oklch(88.5% 0.007 268.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BDC0CA
oklch(80.8% 0.014 272.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BA0AF
oklch(70.7% 0.023 271.1)
-
Step 500
500
#83899B
oklch(63.1% 0.028 270.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6C7386
oklch(55.6% 0.031 269.4)
-
Step 700
700
#5A6072
oklch(49.1% 0.03 270.7)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4F5D
oklch(42.8% 0.024 269.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3E414C
oklch(37.7% 0.019 273.4)
-
Step 950
950
#24262C
oklch(26.9% 0.012 271)
#9BA0AF 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) | #9CA1B0 | 0.003 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9A9FAF | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #97A3A5 | 0.020 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A0A0A0 | 0.023 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BA0AF
#9BA0AF
oklch(70.7% 0.023 271.1)
- #A6A091
#A6A091
oklch(70.7% 0.022 88.8)
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 #9BA0AF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.018
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.020
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.024
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.029
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.029
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.036
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.036
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.046
Use #9BA0AF 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.