#9CAACC
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.9% 0.052 267.5), rgb(156, 170, 204).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.03:1).
About this color
#9CAACC is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 268°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.037 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.03:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.03:1 |
| White text | 2.32:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAACC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 170, 204) |
| HSL | hsl(223, 32%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.9% 0.052 267.5) |
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 #9CAACC | 2.32:1 | Fails | Lc -50.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAACC | 9.03:1 | AAA | Lc 58.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAACC text on white | 2.32:1 | Fails | Lc 45.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAACC text on black | 9.03:1 | AAA | Lc -56.2 | 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
#E7EAF0
oklch(93.6% 0.009 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D9E5
oklch(88.5% 0.017 267.8)
-
Step 300
300
#B7C0D6
oklch(80.8% 0.033 267.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAACC
oklch(73.9% 0.052 267.5)
-
Step 500
500
#7889B2
oklch(63.2% 0.065 267.1)
-
Step 600
600
#61729E
oklch(55.6% 0.072 267.8)
-
Step 700
700
#505F87
oklch(49% 0.067 268.1)
-
Step 800
800
#424E6E
oklch(42.7% 0.056 268.2)
-
Step 900
900
#374159
oklch(37.7% 0.043 266.8)
-
Step 950
950
#202634
oklch(26.9% 0.028 266.5)
#9CAACC 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) | #A0ACCE | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CA8CB | 0.005 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #90B1B5 | 0.047 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AAAAAA | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAACC
#9CAACC
oklch(73.9% 0.052 267.5)
- #B8A985
#B8A985
oklch(73.8% 0.052 88.1)
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 #9CAACC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.047
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.049
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.052
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.052
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.053
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.056
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.060
Use #9CAACC 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.