#9CA3C0
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72% 0.043 274.6), rgb(156, 163, 192).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.41:1).
About this color
#9CA3C0 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.043 and its hue 275°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.41:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.043) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.41:1 |
| White text | 2.49:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA3C0 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 163, 192) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 22%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72% 0.043 274.6) |
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 #9CA3C0 | 2.49:1 | Fails | Lc -54.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA3C0 | 8.41:1 | AAA | Lc 55.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3C0 text on white | 2.49:1 | Fails | Lc 49.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3C0 text on black | 8.41:1 | AAA | Lc -52.9 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9EF
oklch(93.5% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D9E3
oklch(88.6% 0.014 272.7)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC0D2
oklch(80.9% 0.026 273.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA3C0
oklch(72% 0.043 274.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7F87AB
oklch(63% 0.055 274.9)
-
Step 600
600
#697197
oklch(55.7% 0.06 275.1)
-
Step 700
700
#575E80
oklch(49% 0.055 275.2)
-
Step 800
800
#474D68
oklch(42.6% 0.046 274.6)
-
Step 900
900
#3C4055
oklch(37.7% 0.036 276.1)
-
Step 950
950
#232632
oklch(27.1% 0.023 273.8)
#9CA3C0 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) | #9BA5C1 | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #99A3BF | 0.004 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #94A8AC | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A4A4A4 | 0.043 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA3C0
#9CA3C0
oklch(72% 0.043 274.6)
- #ADA587
#ADA587
oklch(72.1% 0.043 94.8)
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 #9CA3C0, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.026
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.036
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.038
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.041
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.041
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.045
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.052
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.053
Use #9CA3C0 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.