#9CAEC5
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.5% 0.039 254.6), rgb(156, 174, 197).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.27:1).
About this color
#9CAEC5 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.039 and its hue 255°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.27:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.039) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.27:1 |
| White text | 2.26:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEC5 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 197) |
| HSL | hsl(214, 26%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.5% 0.039 254.6) |
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 #9CAEC5 | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc -49.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEC5 | 9.27:1 | AAA | Lc 59.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAEC5 text on white | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc 44.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEC5 text on black | 9.27:1 | AAA | Lc -57.5 | 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
#D3DAE2
oklch(88.5% 0.013 251.6)
-
Step 300
300
#B6C2D0
oklch(80.9% 0.024 252.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAEC5
oklch(74.5% 0.039 254.6)
-
Step 500
500
#758BA8
oklch(63% 0.051 255.4)
-
Step 600
600
#5E7593
oklch(55.6% 0.054 255.2)
-
Step 700
700
#4D627D
oklch(49% 0.051 254.9)
-
Step 800
800
#3F5066
oklch(42.6% 0.043 255.1)
-
Step 900
900
#364353
oklch(37.8% 0.032 253.8)
-
Step 950
950
#202730
oklch(27% 0.02 254.8)
#9CAEC5 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) | #A6AFC6 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A2AAC5 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #91B3B5 | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.039 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEC5
#9CAEC5
oklch(74.5% 0.039 254.6)
- #BBA992
#BBA992
oklch(74.4% 0.038 73.9)
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 #9CAEC5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.029
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.040
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.049
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.050
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.051
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.052
Use #9CAEC5 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.