#9CA9CD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.7% 0.054 269.5), rgb(156, 169, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.97:1).
About this color
#9CA9CD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.054 and its hue 269°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.039 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.97:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.054) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.97:1 |
| White text | 2.34:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CA9CD |
| RGB | rgb(156, 169, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(224, 33%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.7% 0.054 269.5) |
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 #9CA9CD | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc -51.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CA9CD | 8.97:1 | AAA | Lc 57.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9CD text on white | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc 46.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CA9CD text on black | 8.97:1 | AAA | Lc -55.9 | 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
#F4F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 275)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAF1
oklch(93.7% 0.01 267.4)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D9E6
oklch(88.5% 0.019 269.1)
-
Step 300
300
#B8C0D7
oklch(80.9% 0.034 270.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CA9CD
oklch(73.7% 0.054 269.5)
-
Step 500
500
#7888B4
oklch(63.1% 0.069 268.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6171A0
oklch(55.5% 0.076 269.4)
-
Step 700
700
#515F89
oklch(49.2% 0.07 269.6)
-
Step 800
800
#424E6F
oklch(42.8% 0.057 268.6)
-
Step 900
900
#38415A
oklch(37.8% 0.045 268.9)
-
Step 950
950
#212635
oklch(27.1% 0.029 270.1)
#9CA9CD 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) | #9EACCF | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9AA7CC | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #90B0B5 | 0.049 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.054 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CA9CD
#9CA9CD
oklch(73.7% 0.054 269.5)
- #B7A983
#B7A983
oklch(73.7% 0.054 90.2)
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 #9CA9CD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.039
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.050
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.052
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.052
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.053
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.054
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.057
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.060
Use #9CA9CD 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.