#9EA3AF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.5% 0.018 267.7), rgb(158, 163, 175).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.31:1).
About this color
#9EA3AF is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.018. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.013 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.31:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.018) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.31:1 |
| White text | 2.52:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EA3AF |
| RGB | rgb(158, 163, 175) |
| HSL | hsl(222, 10%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.5% 0.018 267.7) |
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 #9EA3AF | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc -54.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9EA3AF | 8.31:1 | AAA | Lc 54.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA3AF text on white | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc 49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA3AF text on black | 8.31:1 | 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
#F5F5F6
oklch(97% 0.001 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAEC
oklch(93.7% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D9DD
oklch(88.5% 0.006 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BDC0C8
oklch(80.8% 0.012 269.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9EA3AF
oklch(71.5% 0.018 267.7)
-
Step 500
500
#838998
oklch(63% 0.024 268.3)
-
Step 600
600
#6D7383
oklch(55.6% 0.026 269.2)
-
Step 700
700
#5B616F
oklch(49.2% 0.024 267.1)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4F5A
oklch(42.7% 0.019 266.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3E414A
oklch(37.6% 0.016 271)
-
Step 950
950
#24262B
oklch(26.9% 0.01 268.3)
#9EA3AF 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) | #A0A4B0 | 0.004 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EA2AF | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9AA5A7 | 0.016 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.018 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EA3AF
#9EA3AF
oklch(71.5% 0.018 267.7)
- #A8A396
#A8A396
oklch(71.6% 0.019 89.4)
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 #9EA3AF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.013
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.019
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.027
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.030
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.031
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.033
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.038
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.044
Use #9EA3AF 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.