#9CA8A1
Closest named color: Pewter (#96A8A1). oklch(72% 0.017 160.5), rgb(156, 168, 161).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.52:1).
About this color
#9CA8A1 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.017. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Pewter (#96A8A1), ΔE 0.008 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.52:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.017) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Pewter (#96A8A1) |
| Black text | 8.52:1 |
| White text | 2.46:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA8A1 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 168, 161) |
| HSL | hsl(145, 6%, 64%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72% 0.017 160.5) |
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 #9CA8A1 | 2.46:1 | Fails | Lc -53.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA8A1 | 8.52:1 | AAA | Lc 55.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8A1 text on white | 2.46:1 | Fails | Lc 48.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8A1 text on black | 8.52:1 | AAA | Lc -53.6 | 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
#F5F6F5
oklch(97.2% 0.002 145.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAE9
oklch(93.5% 0.003 165.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D6DAD8
oklch(88.5% 0.005 165)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC3BE
oklch(80.9% 0.011 158.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA8A1
oklch(72% 0.017 160.5)
-
Step 500
500
#7F8E85
oklch(63.2% 0.022 159.4)
-
Step 600
600
#68786F
oklch(55.7% 0.023 160.9)
-
Step 700
700
#56655D
oklch(49.2% 0.022 162.2)
-
Step 800
800
#47524C
oklch(42.7% 0.017 161.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3B443F
oklch(37.7% 0.015 161.4)
-
Step 950
950
#232825
oklch(27.1% 0.009 159.4)
#9CA8A1 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) | #A8A6A1 | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A5A4A1 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9AA8A6 | 0.007 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A5A5A5 | 0.017 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA8A1
#9CA8A1
oklch(72% 0.017 160.5)
- #ACA1A8
#ACA1A8
oklch(72% 0.016 339.1)
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 #9CA8A1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.008
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.021
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.022
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.023
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.028
- Bland #AFA88B ΔE 0.038
- Stone #ADA587 ΔE 0.039
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.043
Use #9CA8A1 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.