#9CA1C9
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.9% 0.058 279.2), rgb(156, 161, 201).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.35:1).
About this color
#9CA1C9 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.058 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.042 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.35:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.058) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.35:1 |
| White text | 2.51:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA1C9 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 161, 201) |
| HSL | hsl(233, 29%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.9% 0.058 279.2) |
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 #9CA1C9 | 2.51:1 | Fails | Lc -54.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA1C9 | 8.35:1 | AAA | Lc 54.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA1C9 text on white | 2.51:1 | Fails | Lc 49.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA1C9 text on black | 8.35:1 | AAA | Lc -52.6 | 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
#F5F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F1
oklch(93.6% 0.011 280.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E7
oklch(88.5% 0.021 279.9)
-
Step 300
300
#BBBFD8
oklch(80.9% 0.035 278.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA1C9
oklch(71.9% 0.058 279.2)
-
Step 500
500
#8085B6
oklch(63.1% 0.074 279.5)
-
Step 600
600
#696EA2
oklch(55.5% 0.081 279.2)
-
Step 700
700
#585C8B
oklch(49.2% 0.075 279.5)
-
Step 800
800
#484B71
oklch(42.7% 0.063 279.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3C3F5B
oklch(37.7% 0.048 279.1)
-
Step 950
950
#232535
oklch(27% 0.03 278.7)
#9CA1C9 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) | #96A5CB | 0.012 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #94A2C8 | 0.011 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #92A8AE | 0.052 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.058 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA1C9
#9CA1C9
oklch(71.9% 0.058 279.2)
- #ADA57B
#ADA57B
oklch(71.8% 0.058 98.6)
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 #9CA1C9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.042
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.047
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.048
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.049
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.056
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.058
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.060
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.063
Use #9CA1C9 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.