#9CAEC6
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.5% 0.04 255.6), rgb(156, 174, 198).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.28:1).
About this color
#9CAEC6 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.040 and its hue 256°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.28:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.040) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.28:1 |
| White text | 2.26:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEC6 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 198) |
| HSL | hsl(214, 27%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.5% 0.04 255.6) |
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 #9CAEC6 | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc -49.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEC6 | 9.28:1 | AAA | Lc 59.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAEC6 text on white | 2.26:1 | Fails | Lc 44.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEC6 text on black | 9.28:1 | 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
#B6C2D1
oklch(80.9% 0.025 254)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAEC6
oklch(74.5% 0.04 255.6)
-
Step 500
500
#758BA9
oklch(63% 0.052 256.2)
-
Step 600
600
#5E7594
oklch(55.6% 0.056 256)
-
Step 700
700
#4D627E
oklch(49% 0.052 255.8)
-
Step 800
800
#3F5067
oklch(42.7% 0.044 256.1)
-
Step 900
900
#364353
oklch(37.8% 0.032 253.8)
-
Step 950
950
#202731
oklch(27% 0.021 257.3)
#9CAEC6 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) | #A6AFC7 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1AAC5 | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #91B3B6 | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ACACAC | 0.040 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEC6
#9CAEC6
oklch(74.5% 0.04 255.6)
- #BBA991
#BBA991
oklch(74.4% 0.039 75)
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 #9CAEC6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.031
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.041
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.050
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.050
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.053
Use #9CAEC6 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.