#9CA2BF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.7% 0.043 276.1), rgb(156, 162, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.33:1).
About this color
#9CA2BF is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.043 and its hue 276°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.33:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.043) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.33:1 |
| White text | 2.51:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA2BF |
| RGB | rgb(156, 162, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(230, 21%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.7% 0.043 276.1) |
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 #9CA2BF | 2.51:1 | Fails | Lc -54.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA2BF | 8.33:1 | AAA | Lc 54.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA2BF text on white | 2.51:1 | Fails | Lc 49.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA2BF text on black | 8.33:1 | AAA | Lc -52.5 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9EF
oklch(93.5% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E3
oklch(88.4% 0.015 277.8)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC0D2
oklch(80.9% 0.026 273.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA2BF
oklch(71.7% 0.043 276.1)
-
Step 500
500
#8087AB
oklch(63.1% 0.055 276.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6A7196
oklch(55.7% 0.058 276)
-
Step 700
700
#585E80
oklch(49% 0.055 276.4)
-
Step 800
800
#484D68
oklch(42.7% 0.045 276.2)
-
Step 900
900
#3C4055
oklch(37.7% 0.036 276.1)
-
Step 950
950
#232632
oklch(27.1% 0.023 273.8)
#9CA2BF 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) | #9AA5C0 | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #98A2BE | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #94A7AB | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.043 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA2BF
#9CA2BF
oklch(71.7% 0.043 276.1)
- #ABA486
#ABA486
oklch(71.7% 0.043 96.4)
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 #9CA2BF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.027
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.035
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.038
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.039
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.040
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.046
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.051
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.053
Use #9CA2BF 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.