#9CA5BC
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.2% 0.035 268.5), rgb(156, 165, 188).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.52:1).
About this color
#9CA5BC is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.035 and its hue 269°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.52:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.035) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.52:1 |
| White text | 2.46:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA5BC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 165, 188) |
| HSL | hsl(223, 19%, 67%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.2% 0.035 268.5) |
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 #9CA5BC | 2.46:1 | Fails | Lc -53.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA5BC | 8.52:1 | AAA | Lc 55.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5BC text on white | 2.46:1 | Fails | Lc 48.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5BC text on black | 8.52:1 | AAA | Lc -53.5 | 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
#F4F5F7
oklch(97% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAEE
oklch(93.7% 0.006 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D9E1
oklch(88.5% 0.011 269.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC0CF
oklch(80.8% 0.022 271.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA5BC
oklch(72.2% 0.035 268.5)
-
Step 500
500
#7E89A5
oklch(63.1% 0.044 268.3)
-
Step 600
600
#677390
oklch(55.6% 0.047 267.3)
-
Step 700
700
#56607B
oklch(49.1% 0.045 268.9)
-
Step 800
800
#464E64
oklch(42.6% 0.038 269.2)
-
Step 900
900
#3B4151
oklch(37.6% 0.029 268.9)
-
Step 950
950
#232630
oklch(27% 0.019 272)
#9CA5BC 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) | #9EA6BD | 0.004 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CA4BB | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #95A9AC | 0.031 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A5A5A5 | 0.035 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA5BC
#9CA5BC
oklch(72.2% 0.035 268.5)
- #AEA58D
#AEA58D
oklch(72.3% 0.035 89.9)
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 #9CA5BC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.018
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.034
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.034
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.035
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.037
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.042
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.045
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.051
Use #9CA5BC 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.