#9CA6AE
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72% 0.016 241.9), rgb(156, 166, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.47:1).
About this color
#9CA6AE is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.016. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.009 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.47:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.016) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.47:1 |
| White text | 2.47:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA6AE |
| RGB | rgb(156, 166, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(207, 10%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72% 0.016 241.9) |
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 #9CA6AE | 2.47:1 | Fails | Lc -53.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA6AE | 8.47:1 | AAA | Lc 55.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA6AE text on white | 2.47:1 | Fails | Lc 48.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA6AE text on black | 8.47:1 | AAA | Lc -53.3 | 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
#F5F5F6
oklch(97% 0.001 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAEC
oklch(93.6% 0.003 247.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D6DADC
oklch(88.6% 0.005 228.8)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC1C7
oklch(80.8% 0.011 248)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA6AE
oklch(72% 0.016 241.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7F8B95
oklch(63% 0.021 243.1)
-
Step 600
600
#687580
oklch(55.5% 0.023 243.7)
-
Step 700
700
#57626C
oklch(49% 0.021 245.7)
-
Step 800
800
#475058
oklch(42.6% 0.018 245)
-
Step 900
900
#3B4348
oklch(37.7% 0.014 235.2)
-
Step 950
950
#23272A
oklch(27% 0.008 240.2)
#9CA6AE 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) | #A3A6AE | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0A4AE | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #98A8A8 | 0.013 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A5A5A5 | 0.016 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA6AE
#9CA6AE
oklch(72% 0.016 241.9)
- #ACA29A
#ACA29A
oklch(71.8% 0.016 61.3)
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 #9CA6AE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.009
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.017
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.022
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.024
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.032
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.033
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.040
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.044
Use #9CA6AE 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.