#9CB5B2
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(75.3% 0.028 187.8), rgb(156, 181, 178).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.66:1).
About this color
#9CB5B2 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 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.66:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.028) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 9.66:1 |
| White text | 2.17:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB5B2 |
| RGB | rgb(156, 181, 178) |
| HSL | hsl(173, 14%, 66%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.3% 0.028 187.8) |
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 #9CB5B2 | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc -47.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CB5B2 | 9.66:1 | AAA | Lc 61.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB5B2 text on white | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc 42.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB5B2 text on black | 9.66:1 | AAA | Lc -59.5 | 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
#F4F6F6
oklch(97.2% 0.002 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EBEA
oklch(93.6% 0.006 183)
-
Step 200
200
#D2DBDA
oklch(88.4% 0.01 189)
-
Step 300
300
#B5C4C2
oklch(80.8% 0.017 187.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9CB5B2
oklch(75.3% 0.028 187.8)
-
Step 500
500
#71918D
oklch(63.1% 0.036 186.9)
-
Step 600
600
#597B77
oklch(55.6% 0.039 187.1)
-
Step 700
700
#496864
oklch(49.2% 0.037 186.1)
-
Step 800
800
#3C5452
oklch(42.6% 0.029 189.7)
-
Step 900
900
#344644
oklch(37.8% 0.023 187.8)
-
Step 950
950
#1E2928
oklch(27% 0.015 189.4)
#9CB5B2 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) | #B2B2B2 | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ADAEB2 | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #95B6B4 | 0.009 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B0B0B0 | 0.028 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB5B2
#9CB5B2
oklch(75.3% 0.028 187.8)
- #C0A8AC
#C0A8AC
oklch(75.4% 0.028 6.4)
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 #9CB5B2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.029
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.033
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.039
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.041
- Muted Teal #90B494 ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.047
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.050
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.055
Use #9CB5B2 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.