#9CAEC2
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.3% 0.035 251.1), rgb(156, 174, 194).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.24:1).
About this color
#9CAEC2 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.035 and its hue 251°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.24:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.035) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.24:1 |
| White text | 2.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEC2 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 194) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 24%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.3% 0.035 251.1) |
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 #9CAEC2 | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc -49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEC2 | 9.24:1 | AAA | Lc 59.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAEC2 text on white | 2.27:1 | Fails | Lc 44.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEC2 text on black | 9.24:1 | AAA | Lc -57.3 | 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
#F4F6F7
oklch(97.2% 0.003 228.8)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EAEE
oklch(93.6% 0.006 255.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D3DAE1
oklch(88.5% 0.012 248)
-
Step 300
300
#B7C2CF
oklch(81% 0.022 252.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAEC2
oklch(74.3% 0.035 251.1)
-
Step 500
500
#768CA4
oklch(63.1% 0.044 250.8)
-
Step 600
600
#5E7690
oklch(55.7% 0.049 250.8)
-
Step 700
700
#4E637A
oklch(49.2% 0.045 251)
-
Step 800
800
#405163
oklch(42.8% 0.037 250.2)
-
Step 900
900
#364351
oklch(37.7% 0.029 250.5)
-
Step 950
950
#20272F
oklch(26.9% 0.018 251.9)
#9CAEC2 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) | #A7AEC3 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A2AAC2 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #92B2B4 | 0.030 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.035 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEC2
#9CAEC2
oklch(74.3% 0.035 251.1)
- #BAA994
#BAA994
oklch(74.4% 0.035 73.1)
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 #9CAEC2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.026
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.033
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.040
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.045
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.048
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.048
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.051
Use #9CAEC2 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.