#9CA3DB
Closest named color: Pale Purple (#B790D4). oklch(73% 0.082 278.7), rgb(156, 163, 219).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.67:1).
About this color
#9CA3DB is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.082 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pale Purple (#B790D4), ΔE 0.058 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.67:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.082) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pale Purple (#B790D4) |
| Black text | 8.67:1 |
| White text | 2.42:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA3DB |
| RGB | rgb(156, 163, 219) |
| HSL | hsl(233, 47%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73% 0.082 278.7) |
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 #9CA3DB | 2.42:1 | Fails | Lc -52.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA3DB | 8.67:1 | AAA | Lc 56.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3DB text on white | 2.42:1 | Fails | Lc 47.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA3DB text on black | 8.67:1 | AAA | Lc -54.4 | 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
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 277.8)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D8EC
oklch(88.5% 0.028 276.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B9BEE2
oklch(80.9% 0.051 279)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA3DB
oklch(73% 0.082 278.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7C82C8
oklch(63.1% 0.105 279.2)
-
Step 600
600
#656BB4
oklch(55.6% 0.113 278.5)
-
Step 700
700
#54599B
oklch(49.1% 0.105 278.5)
-
Step 800
800
#45497E
oklch(42.7% 0.087 278.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3A3D65
oklch(37.6% 0.068 279.3)
-
Step 950
950
#22243B
oklch(27% 0.043 279.3)
#9CA3DB 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) | #93A9DD | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8FA4DA | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8CADB6 | 0.072 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A6A6A6 | 0.082 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA3DB
#9CA3DB
oklch(73% 0.082 278.7)
- #B5A96C
#B5A96C
oklch(73.1% 0.082 98.4)
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 #9CA3DB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.058
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.062
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.065
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.065
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.070
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.071
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.071
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.072
Use #9CA3DB 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.