#9EA1BF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.7% 0.044 280.7), rgb(158, 161, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.30:1).
About this color
#9EA1BF is a medium-light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 281°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.30:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.30:1 |
| White text | 2.52:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EA1BF |
| RGB | rgb(158, 161, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 20%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.7% 0.044 280.7) |
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 #9EA1BF | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc -54.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9EA1BF | 8.30:1 | AAA | Lc 54.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA1BF text on white | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc 49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA1BF text on black | 8.30:1 | AAA | Lc -52.4 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E9EF
oklch(93.6% 0.008 286.2)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D8E3
oklch(88.5% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 300
300
#BDBFD2
oklch(80.9% 0.027 281)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9EA1BF
oklch(71.7% 0.044 280.7)
-
Step 500
500
#8386AB
oklch(63.1% 0.056 281.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6C7097
oklch(55.7% 0.061 279.7)
-
Step 700
700
#5B5D80
oklch(49.1% 0.056 281.6)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4C68
oklch(42.6% 0.046 281.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3E4055
oklch(37.8% 0.036 280.3)
-
Step 950
950
#242532
oklch(26.9% 0.024 281.2)
#9EA1BF 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) | #99A4C0 | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #98A2BE | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #97A6AB | 0.038 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.044 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EA1BF
#9EA1BF
oklch(71.7% 0.044 280.7)
- #A9A586
#A9A586
oklch(71.7% 0.043 101.3)
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 #9EA1BF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.030
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.038
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.040
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.041
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.042
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.047
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.054
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.056
Use #9EA1BF 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.