#9CAEC9
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.6% 0.044 258.4), rgb(156, 174, 201).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.31:1).
About this color
#9CAEC9 is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 258°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.31:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.31:1 |
| White text | 2.25:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CAEC9 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 174, 201) |
| HSL | hsl(216, 29%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.6% 0.044 258.4) |
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 #9CAEC9 | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc -49.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CAEC9 | 9.31:1 | AAA | Lc 59.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9CAEC9 text on white | 2.25:1 | Fails | Lc 44.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CAEC9 text on black | 9.31:1 | AAA | Lc -57.7 | 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
#D3DAE3
oklch(88.6% 0.015 254.6)
-
Step 300
300
#B6C2D3
oklch(81% 0.027 257)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CAEC9
oklch(74.6% 0.044 258.4)
-
Step 500
500
#758BAC
oklch(63.2% 0.056 258.3)
-
Step 600
600
#5D7497
oklch(55.5% 0.061 258.6)
-
Step 700
700
#4D6281
oklch(49.2% 0.056 258)
-
Step 800
800
#3F5069
oklch(42.7% 0.047 257.9)
-
Step 900
900
#364255
oklch(37.7% 0.036 259.5)
-
Step 950
950
#1F2732
oklch(27% 0.024 256.4)
#9CAEC9 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) | #A5AFCA | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0ABC8 | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #90B4B7 | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.044 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CAEC9
#9CAEC9
oklch(74.6% 0.044 258.4)
- #BCAA8E
#BCAA8E
oklch(74.6% 0.044 78.8)
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 #9CAEC9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.034
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.037
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.038
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.045
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.052
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.053
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.055
Use #9CAEC9 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.