#9E8181
Closest named color: English Lavender (#9D8189). oklch(63% 0.036 18.1), rgb(158, 129, 129).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.91:1).
About this color
#9E8181 is a medium-light, muted red. In OKLCH its lightness is 63%, its chroma 0.036 and its hue 18°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is English Lavender (#9D8189), ΔE 0.012 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.91:1.
| Hue family | Reds |
| Lightness | medium-light (63%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.036) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | English Lavender (#9D8189) |
| Black text | 5.91:1 |
| White text | 3.55:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9E8181 |
| RGB | rgb(158, 129, 129) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 13%, 56%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(63% 0.036 18.1) |
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 #9E8181 | 3.55:1 | AA large text | Lc -68.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #9E8181 | 5.91:1 | AA | Lc 41.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9E8181 text on white | 3.55:1 | AA large text | Lc 63.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9E8181 text on black | 5.91:1 | AA | Lc -38.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F7F5F5
oklch(97.2% 0.002 17.2)
-
Step 100
100
#EDE8E8
oklch(93.5% 0.005 17.3)
-
Step 200
200
#DFD7D7
oklch(88.6% 0.009 17.3)
-
Step 300
300
#CCBCBC
oklch(80.9% 0.018 17.5)
-
Step 400
400
#B29A9A
oklch(70.7% 0.029 17.8)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#9E8181
oklch(63% 0.036 18.1)
-
Step 600
600
#896A6B
oklch(55.5% 0.04 16.3)
-
Step 700
700
#745959
oklch(49.2% 0.036 18.4)
-
Step 800
800
#5E4949
oklch(42.7% 0.029 18.3)
-
Step 900
900
#4D3D3D
oklch(37.7% 0.022 18.2)
-
Step 950
950
#2D2424
oklch(27.1% 0.014 18)
#9E8181 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) | #868581 | 0.038 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8D8A81 | 0.035 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A47E81 | 0.012 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #888888 | 0.036 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9E8181
#9E8181
oklch(63% 0.036 18.1)
- #709091
#709091
oklch(62.9% 0.036 198.7)
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 #9E8181, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- English Lavender #9D8189 ΔE 0.012
- Warm Grey #978A84 ΔE 0.025
- Purpley Grey #947E94 ΔE 0.036
- Reddish Grey #997570 ΔE 0.036
- Gray #808080 ΔE 0.047
- Mauve #AE7181 ΔE 0.048
- Brown Grey #8D8468 ΔE 0.050
- Medium Grey #7D7F7C ΔE 0.053
Use #9E8181 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.