#9CA9BD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.1% 0.033 258.9), rgb(156, 169, 189).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.82:1).
About this color
#9CA9BD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.033 and its hue 259°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.82:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.033) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.82:1 |
| White text | 2.37:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA9BD |
| RGB | rgb(156, 169, 189) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 20%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.1% 0.033 258.9) |
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 #9CA9BD | 2.37:1 | Fails | Lc -51.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA9BD | 8.82:1 | AAA | Lc 57.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9BD text on white | 2.37:1 | Fails | Lc 46.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9BD text on black | 8.82:1 | 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
#F4F5F7
oklch(97% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAEE
oklch(93.6% 0.006 255.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D9E1
oklch(88.5% 0.012 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B9C1CE
oklch(80.9% 0.02 260.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA9BD
oklch(73.1% 0.033 258.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7B8AA3
oklch(63% 0.042 260.6)
-
Step 600
600
#63748E
oklch(55.5% 0.045 258.8)
-
Step 700
700
#526279
oklch(49.2% 0.042 257.4)
-
Step 800
800
#445062
oklch(42.8% 0.034 258.4)
-
Step 900
900
#394250
oklch(37.7% 0.027 259.2)
-
Step 950
950
#21272F
oklch(27% 0.017 255.7)
#9CA9BD 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) | #A3AABE | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA7BD | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #94ADAF | 0.029 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.033 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA9BD
#9CA9BD
oklch(73.1% 0.033 258.9)
- #B3A692
#B3A692
oklch(73.1% 0.032 78.7)
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 #9CA9BD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.016
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.033
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.036
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.039
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.040
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.042
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.042
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.051
Use #9CA9BD 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.