#9BAEC5
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.4% 0.039 253.3), rgb(155, 174, 197).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.25:1).
About this color
#9BAEC5 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.039 and its hue 253°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.25:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.039) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.25:1 |
| White text | 2.26:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9BAEC5 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 174, 197) |
| HSL | hsl(213, 27%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.4% 0.039 253.3) |
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 #9BAEC5 | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc -49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9BAEC5 | 9.25:1 | AAA | Lc 59.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9BAEC5 text on white | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc 44.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9BAEC5 text on black | 9.25:1 | AAA | Lc -57.4 | 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
#F4F6F8
oklch(97.2% 0.003 247.9)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAEF
oklch(93.6% 0.007 260.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D3DAE2
oklch(88.5% 0.013 251.6)
-
Step 300
300
#B6C2D1
oklch(80.9% 0.025 254)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9BAEC5
oklch(74.4% 0.039 253.3)
-
Step 500
500
#748CA8
oklch(63.2% 0.051 252.5)
-
Step 600
600
#5D7593
oklch(55.5% 0.055 254.3)
-
Step 700
700
#4C637D
oklch(49.2% 0.05 251.9)
-
Step 800
800
#3F5166
oklch(42.8% 0.042 252.6)
-
Step 900
900
#354353
oklch(37.7% 0.033 252.1)
-
Step 950
950
#1F2731
oklch(27% 0.022 254.2)
#9BAEC5 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) | #A6AEC6 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1AAC5 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #90B3B5 | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.039 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9BAEC5
#9BAEC5
oklch(74.4% 0.039 253.3)
- #BCA991
#BCA991
oklch(74.5% 0.04 73.6)
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 #9BAEC5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.029
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.040
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.048
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.049
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.051
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.052
Use #9BAEC5 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.