#9CABC5
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.8% 0.041 261.5), rgb(156, 171, 197).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.04:1).
About this color
#9CABC5 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.041 and its hue 261°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.04:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.041) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.04:1 |
| White text | 2.32:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CABC5 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 171, 197) |
| HSL | hsl(218, 26%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.8% 0.041 261.5) |
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 #9CABC5 | 2.32:1 | Fails | Lc -50.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CABC5 | 9.04:1 | AAA | Lc 58.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CABC5 text on white | 2.32:1 | Fails | Lc 45.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CABC5 text on black | 9.04:1 | AAA | Lc -56.3 | 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
#D4D9E3
oklch(88.4% 0.015 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B7C1D2
oklch(80.8% 0.026 261.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CABC5
oklch(73.8% 0.041 261.5)
-
Step 500
500
#788AAA
oklch(63.1% 0.053 261.9)
-
Step 600
600
#617495
oklch(55.6% 0.056 261.3)
-
Step 700
700
#50617F
oklch(49.1% 0.053 261.6)
-
Step 800
800
#414F68
oklch(42.6% 0.045 261.8)
-
Step 900
900
#374254
oklch(37.7% 0.034 260.2)
-
Step 950
950
#212731
oklch(27.1% 0.021 260.6)
#9CABC5 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) | #A3ACC6 | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA8C4 | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #92B0B3 | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AAAAAA | 0.041 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CABC5
#9CABC5
oklch(73.8% 0.041 261.5)
- #B8A88D
#B8A88D
oklch(73.8% 0.042 80.8)
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 #9CABC5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.027
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.041
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.041
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.045
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.046
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.047
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.048
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.053
Use #9CABC5 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.