#9CA8BE
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.9% 0.035 262.6), rgb(156, 168, 190).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.75:1).
About this color
#9CA8BE is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.035 and its hue 263°. 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 8.75:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.035) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.75:1 |
| White text | 2.39:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA8BE |
| RGB | rgb(156, 168, 190) |
| HSL | hsl(219, 21%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.9% 0.035 262.6) |
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 #9CA8BE | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc -52.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA8BE | 8.75:1 | AAA | Lc 56.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8BE text on white | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc 47.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA8BE text on black | 8.75:1 | AAA | Lc -54.8 | 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
#D5D9E1
oklch(88.5% 0.012 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B9C1CF
oklch(80.9% 0.022 261.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA8BE
oklch(72.9% 0.035 262.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7B8AA5
oklch(63.1% 0.044 262.2)
-
Step 600
600
#647490
oklch(55.6% 0.048 261.5)
-
Step 700
700
#53617B
oklch(49.1% 0.045 262.7)
-
Step 800
800
#444F64
oklch(42.7% 0.038 263.2)
-
Step 900
900
#394251
oklch(37.7% 0.028 260.6)
-
Step 950
950
#222730
oklch(27.2% 0.018 262.2)
#9CA8BE 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) | #A1A9BF | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EA6BD | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #94ACAF | 0.030 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A7A7A7 | 0.035 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA8BE
#9CA8BE
oklch(72.9% 0.035 262.6)
- #B2A68F
#B2A68F
oklch(72.9% 0.035 83.7)
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 #9CA8BE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.018
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.035
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.036
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.038
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.039
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.044
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.045
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.049
Use #9CA8BE 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.