#9CAAAD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.8% 0.016 212), rgb(156, 170, 173).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.76:1).
About this color
#9CAAAD is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.016. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.76:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.016) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.76:1 |
| White text | 2.39:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAAAD |
| RGB | rgb(156, 170, 173) |
| HSL | hsl(191, 9%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.8% 0.016 212) |
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 #9CAAAD | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc -52.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAAAD | 8.76:1 | AAA | Lc 56.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAAAD text on white | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc 47.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAAAD text on black | 8.76:1 | 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
#F4F6F6
oklch(97.2% 0.002 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAEB
oklch(93.6% 0.003 228.8)
-
Step 200
200
#D5DADB
oklch(88.5% 0.006 211)
-
Step 300
300
#BAC2C4
oklch(80.8% 0.009 214.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAAAD
oklch(72.8% 0.016 212)
-
Step 500
500
#7C8D91
oklch(63.1% 0.021 213.5)
-
Step 600
600
#65777B
oklch(55.6% 0.022 212.6)
-
Step 700
700
#536468
oklch(49% 0.022 213.5)
-
Step 800
800
#445255
oklch(42.8% 0.018 212.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3A4446
oklch(37.8% 0.014 211.1)
-
Step 950
950
#222829
oklch(27.1% 0.009 208.7)
#9CAAAD 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) | #A7A9AD | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A4A6AD | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #98ABAB | 0.007 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A7A7A7 | 0.016 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAAAD
#9CAAAD
oklch(72.8% 0.016 212)
- #B1A4A1
#B1A4A1
oklch(72.9% 0.016 33.1)
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 #9CAAAD, 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 0.018
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.020
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.023
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.038
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.039
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.041
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.042
Use #9CAAAD 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.