#9CB8BD
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(76.3% 0.031 209.6), rgb(156, 184, 189).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.00:1).
About this color
#9CB8BD is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.031 and its hue 210°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.00:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.031) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.00:1 |
| White text | 2.09:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CB8BD |
| RGB | rgb(156, 184, 189) |
| HSL | hsl(189, 20%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.3% 0.031 209.6) |
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 #9CB8BD | 2.09:1 | Fails | Lc -45.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9CB8BD | 10.00:1 | AAA | Lc 62.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CB8BD text on white | 2.09:1 | Fails | Lc 41.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CB8BD text on black | 10.00:1 | AAA | Lc -61.2 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F2F6F7
oklch(97% 0.004 214.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E3ECED
oklch(93.7% 0.01 204.9)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDDDF
oklch(88.6% 0.017 205.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CB8BD
oklch(76.3% 0.031 209.6)
-
Step 400
400
#7CAAB2
oklch(70.8% 0.05 209.4)
-
Step 500
500
#58949F
oklch(63% 0.064 210.5)
-
Step 600
600
#3B7F8A
oklch(55.7% 0.07 209.4)
-
Step 700
700
#2D6B75
oklch(49.2% 0.065 209.6)
-
Step 800
800
#27575F
oklch(42.7% 0.053 209.8)
-
Step 900
900
#25484E
oklch(37.8% 0.042 209.8)
-
Step 950
950
#162A2D
oklch(26.9% 0.026 207.9)
#9CB8BD 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) | #B3B6BD | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ADB1BD | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #93BBB9 | 0.016 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B3B3B3 | 0.032 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CB8BD
#9CB8BD
oklch(76.3% 0.031 209.6)
- #C5ABA7
#C5ABA7
oklch(76.3% 0.031 28.2)
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 #9CB8BD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.023
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.032
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.040
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.042
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.046
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.049
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.052
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.055
Use #9CB8BD 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.