#9CBDBC
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(77.4% 0.036 194.2), rgb(156, 189, 188).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.41:1).
About this color
#9CBDBC is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.036 and its hue 194°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.41:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.036) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.41:1 |
| White text | 2.01:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9CBDBC |
| RGB | rgb(156, 189, 188) |
| HSL | hsl(178, 20%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.4% 0.036 194.2) |
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 #9CBDBC | 2.01:1 | Fails | Lc -43.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #9CBDBC | 10.41:1 | AAA | Lc 64.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9CBDBC text on white | 2.01:1 | Fails | Lc 39.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9CBDBC text on black | 10.41:1 | AAA | Lc -63.2 | 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
#F2F6F6
oklch(97% 0.004 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E2ECEC
oklch(93.6% 0.011 197)
-
Step 200
200
#CBDDDD
oklch(88.4% 0.019 196.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#9CBDBC
oklch(77.4% 0.036 194.2)
-
Step 400
400
#76ACAB
oklch(70.7% 0.057 194.5)
-
Step 500
500
#4F9796
oklch(63% 0.072 194.3)
-
Step 600
600
#2E8281
oklch(55.7% 0.079 194)
-
Step 700
700
#1F6E6D
oklch(49.2% 0.074 193.8)
-
Step 800
800
#1D5959
oklch(42.6% 0.06 195.1)
-
Step 900
900
#1F4A49
oklch(37.9% 0.048 193.3)
-
Step 950
950
#132B2B
oklch(27% 0.03 195.5)
#9CBDBC 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) | #B9BABC | 0.038 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2B4BC | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #92BFBD | 0.012 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.036 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9CBDBC
#9CBDBC
oklch(77.4% 0.036 194.2)
- #CBADAE
#CBADAE
oklch(77.4% 0.035 15.7)
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 #9CBDBC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.030
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.036
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.040
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.047
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.049
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.053
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.053
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.057
Use #9CBDBC 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.