#9CA5DA
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.4% 0.077 276.8), rgb(156, 165, 218).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.80:1).
About this color
#9CA5DA is a medium-light, moderately saturated blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.077 and its hue 277°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.061 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.80:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.077) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.80:1 |
| White text | 2.38:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA5DA |
| RGB | rgb(156, 165, 218) |
| HSL | hsl(231, 46%, 73%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.4% 0.077 276.8) |
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 #9CA5DA | 2.38:1 | Fails | Lc -51.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA5DA | 8.80:1 | AAA | Lc 57.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5DA text on white | 2.38:1 | Fails | Lc 47.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA5DA text on black | 8.80:1 | AAA | Lc -55.1 | 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
#D4D8EB
oklch(88.5% 0.026 276.4)
-
Step 300
300
#B8BEE0
oklch(80.8% 0.048 277.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA5DA
oklch(73.4% 0.077 276.8)
-
Step 500
500
#7A84C5
oklch(63.2% 0.098 276.5)
-
Step 600
600
#646CB2
oklch(55.6% 0.109 277.3)
-
Step 700
700
#535A99
oklch(49.1% 0.101 277.2)
-
Step 800
800
#444A7C
oklch(42.8% 0.083 277.1)
-
Step 900
900
#393E64
oklch(37.7% 0.065 277.1)
-
Step 950
950
#21243A
oklch(26.8% 0.041 277.3)
#9CA5DA 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) | #96AADC | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #92A6D9 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8CAFB7 | 0.070 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.078 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA5DA
#9CA5DA
oklch(73.4% 0.077 276.8)
- #B7A970
#B7A970
oklch(73.3% 0.077 96)
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 #9CA5DA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.061
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.062
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.063
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.066
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.067
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.068
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.069
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.070
Use #9CA5DA 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.