#9BABCD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74% 0.052 265.3), rgb(155, 171, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.10:1).
About this color
#9BABCD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 265°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.038 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.10:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.10:1 |
| White text | 2.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BABCD |
| RGB | rgb(155, 171, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(221, 33%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74% 0.052 265.3) |
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 #9BABCD | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc -50.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BABCD | 9.10:1 | AAA | Lc 58.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9BABCD text on white | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc 45.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9BABCD text on black | 9.10:1 | AAA | Lc -56.6 | 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
#F4F5F8
oklch(97% 0.004 271.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAF0
oklch(93.6% 0.009 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D9E6
oklch(88.5% 0.019 266)
-
Step 300
300
#B6C1D7
oklch(80.9% 0.033 264.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BABCD
oklch(74% 0.052 265.3)
-
Step 500
500
#7689B3
oklch(63.1% 0.067 265.6)
-
Step 600
600
#5F739F
oklch(55.7% 0.073 265.3)
-
Step 700
700
#4E6088
oklch(49.1% 0.068 265.4)
-
Step 800
800
#404E6E
oklch(42.6% 0.056 265.9)
-
Step 900
900
#364159
oklch(37.6% 0.044 265.3)
-
Step 950
950
#202634
oklch(26.9% 0.028 266.5)
#9BABCD 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) | #A0ADCF | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CA9CC | 0.005 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8EB2B6 | 0.048 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BABCD
#9BABCD
oklch(74% 0.052 265.3)
- #BAA985
#BAA985
oklch(74% 0.053 85.6)
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 #9BABCD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.038
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.045
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.048
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.052
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.053
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.054
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.057
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.057
Use #9BABCD 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.