#9CA3D4
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.7% 0.072 278.1), rgb(156, 163, 212).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.60:1).
About this color
#9CA3D4 is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.072 and its hue 278°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.055 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.60:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.072) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.60:1 |
| White text | 2.44:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA3D4 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 163, 212) |
| HSL | hsl(233, 39%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.7% 0.072 278.1) |
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 #9CA3D4 | 2.44:1 | Fails | Lc -53.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA3D4 | 8.60:1 | AAA | Lc 56.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3D4 text on white | 2.44:1 | Fails | Lc 48.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3D4 text on black | 8.60:1 | AAA | Lc -54.0 | 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
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F3
oklch(93.5% 0.014 277.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D8EA
oklch(88.5% 0.025 278.3)
-
Step 300
300
#B9BEDE
oklch(80.8% 0.045 278.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA3D4
oklch(72.7% 0.072 278.1)
-
Step 500
500
#7C84C0
oklch(63.1% 0.091 277.6)
-
Step 600
600
#666DAD
oklch(55.7% 0.099 277.9)
-
Step 700
700
#555B94
oklch(49.2% 0.091 277.9)
-
Step 800
800
#454A78
oklch(42.6% 0.076 277.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3A3E61
oklch(37.6% 0.06 278.1)
-
Step 950
950
#222539
oklch(27.1% 0.037 277)
#9CA3D4 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) | #95A8D6 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92A4D3 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8EACB4 | 0.063 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A6A6A6 | 0.072 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA3D4
#9CA3D4
oklch(72.7% 0.072 278.1)
- #B2A873
#B2A873
oklch(72.7% 0.072 98.8)
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 #9CA3D4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.055
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.060
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.060
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.062
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.062
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.069
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.069
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.070
Use #9CA3D4 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.