#9CA9C2
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.3% 0.039 263.6), rgb(156, 169, 194).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.86:1).
About this color
#9CA9C2 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.039 and its hue 264°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.86:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.039) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.86:1 |
| White text | 2.36:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA9C2 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 169, 194) |
| HSL | hsl(219, 24%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.3% 0.039 263.6) |
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 #9CA9C2 | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc -51.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA9C2 | 8.86:1 | AAA | Lc 57.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9C2 text on white | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc 46.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9C2 text on black | 8.86:1 | AAA | Lc -55.4 | 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
#F4F5F8
oklch(97% 0.004 271.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAEF
oklch(93.6% 0.007 260.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D9E2
oklch(88.4% 0.013 262.4)
-
Step 300
300
#B8C1D1
oklch(80.9% 0.025 262.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA9C2
oklch(73.3% 0.039 263.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7A8AA8
oklch(63.1% 0.049 262.9)
-
Step 600
600
#637394
oklch(55.5% 0.055 264.5)
-
Step 700
700
#52617E
oklch(49.2% 0.05 263.3)
-
Step 800
800
#434F66
oklch(42.7% 0.041 263.2)
-
Step 900
900
#394253
oklch(37.8% 0.032 263)
-
Step 950
950
#212631
oklch(26.9% 0.022 265.8)
#9CA9C2 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) | #A1AAC3 | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EA7C1 | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #93AEB1 | 0.035 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.039 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA9C2
#9CA9C2
oklch(73.3% 0.039 263.6)
- #B5A78D
#B5A78D
oklch(73.3% 0.04 83)
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 #9CA9C2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.023
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.039
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.042
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.042
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.043
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.044
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.049
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.051
Use #9CA9C2 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.