#9EA9BF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.3% 0.034 264.3), rgb(158, 169, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.88:1).
About this color
#9EA9BF is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.034 and its hue 264°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.88:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.034) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.88:1 |
| White text | 2.36:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9EA9BF |
| RGB | rgb(158, 169, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(220, 20%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.3% 0.034 264.3) |
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 #9EA9BF | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc -51.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9EA9BF | 8.88:1 | AAA | Lc 57.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA9BF text on white | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc 46.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9EA9BF text on black | 8.88:1 | AAA | Lc -55.4 | 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
#F4F5F7
oklch(97% 0.003 264.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAEE
oklch(93.7% 0.006 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D9E1
oklch(88.5% 0.012 264.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BAC1CF
oklch(81% 0.021 264.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9EA9BF
oklch(73.3% 0.034 264.3)
-
Step 500
500
#7C8AA5
oklch(63.2% 0.044 263.5)
-
Step 600
600
#657390
oklch(55.5% 0.048 264.7)
-
Step 700
700
#54617A
oklch(49.1% 0.043 263.3)
-
Step 800
800
#454F64
oklch(42.7% 0.037 264.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3A4251
oklch(37.8% 0.028 263)
-
Step 950
950
#22262F
oklch(26.9% 0.018 266.3)
#9EA9BF 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) | #A2AAC0 | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA7BE | 0.005 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #96ADB0 | 0.030 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.034 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9EA9BF
#9EA9BF
oklch(73.3% 0.034 264.3)
- #B3A791
#B3A791
oklch(73.3% 0.034 82.7)
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 #9EA9BF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.020
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.034
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.039
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.041
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.042
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.043
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.046
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.052
Use #9EA9BF 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.