#9CA8BA
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.8% 0.029 258.4), rgb(156, 168, 186).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.72:1).
About this color
#9CA8BA is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.029. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.013 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.72:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.029) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.72:1 |
| White text | 2.40:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA8BA |
| RGB | rgb(156, 168, 186) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 18%, 67%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.8% 0.029 258.4) |
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 #9CA8BA | 2.40:1 | Fails | Lc -52.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA8BA | 8.72:1 | AAA | Lc 56.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8BA text on white | 2.40:1 | Fails | Lc 47.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8BA text on black | 8.72:1 | AAA | Lc -54.6 | 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
#F4F5F7
oklch(97% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAED
oklch(93.6% 0.005 258.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D9E0
oklch(88.4% 0.011 261.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B9C1CD
oklch(80.8% 0.019 258.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA8BA
oklch(72.8% 0.029 258.4)
-
Step 500
500
#7C8BA1
oklch(63.2% 0.038 257.9)
-
Step 600
600
#65748C
oklch(55.6% 0.042 259.8)
-
Step 700
700
#546277
oklch(49.2% 0.038 258.4)
-
Step 800
800
#445061
oklch(42.8% 0.032 257.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3A424F
oklch(37.7% 0.025 260.1)
-
Step 950
950
#22272E
oklch(27.1% 0.015 256.8)
#9CA8BA 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) | #A2A9BB | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA6BA | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #95ACAE | 0.026 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A7A7A7 | 0.029 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA8BA
#9CA8BA
oklch(72.8% 0.029 258.4)
- #B1A593
#B1A593
oklch(72.7% 0.029 78.1)
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 #9CA8BA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.013
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.030
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.031
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.036
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.037
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.039
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.044
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.048
Use #9CA8BA 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.