#9CB4BA
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(75.4% 0.028 214.5), rgb(156, 180, 186).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.65:1).
About this color
#9CB4BA is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.028. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.65:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.028) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 9.65:1 |
| White text | 2.17:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB4BA |
| RGB | rgb(156, 180, 186) |
| HSL | hsl(192, 18%, 67%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.4% 0.028 214.5) |
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 #9CB4BA | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc -47.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CB4BA | 9.65:1 | AAA | Lc 61.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB4BA text on white | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc 42.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB4BA text on black | 9.65:1 | AAA | Lc -59.4 | 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
#F4F6F6
oklch(97.2% 0.002 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EBEC
oklch(93.7% 0.006 211)
-
Step 200
200
#D2DBDD
oklch(88.5% 0.01 212.5)
-
Step 300
300
#B5C4C7
oklch(81% 0.017 211)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CB4BA
oklch(75.4% 0.028 214.5)
-
Step 500
500
#718F97
oklch(63% 0.036 215.8)
-
Step 600
600
#597981
oklch(55.4% 0.039 214.8)
-
Step 700
700
#49666D
oklch(49% 0.036 214.3)
-
Step 800
800
#3C5359
oklch(42.6% 0.03 215.6)
-
Step 900
900
#344549
oklch(37.7% 0.023 213.7)
-
Step 950
950
#1E282B
oklch(26.9% 0.015 218)
#9CB4BA 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) | #AFB2BA | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AAAEBA | 0.023 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #94B7B6 | 0.015 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B0B0B0 | 0.028 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB4BA
#9CB4BA
oklch(75.4% 0.028 214.5)
- #C0A9A4
#C0A9A4
oklch(75.3% 0.028 32.3)
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 #9CB4BA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.024
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.034
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.047
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.050
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.057
Use #9CB4BA 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.