#9FA3AD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.5% 0.015 268.4), rgb(159, 163, 173).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.31:1).
About this color
#9FA3AD is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.015. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.014 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.31:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.015) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.31:1 |
| White text | 2.52:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FA3AD |
| RGB | rgb(159, 163, 173) |
| HSL | hsl(223, 8%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.5% 0.015 268.4) |
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 #9FA3AD | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc -54.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9FA3AD | 8.31:1 | AAA | Lc 54.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA3AD text on white | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc 49.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA3AD 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
#BEC0C7
oklch(80.8% 0.01 273.3)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9FA3AD
oklch(71.5% 0.015 268.4)
-
Step 500
500
#848996
oklch(63% 0.02 269)
-
Step 600
600
#6E7380
oklch(55.6% 0.021 268.9)
-
Step 700
700
#5C616C
oklch(49.2% 0.019 266.1)
-
Step 800
800
#4B4F58
oklch(42.7% 0.016 266.5)
-
Step 900
900
#3F4149
oklch(37.6% 0.014 274.6)
-
Step 950
950
#25262A
oklch(26.9% 0.008 274.7)
#9FA3AD 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) | #A0A4AE | 0.003 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA2AD | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9CA5A6 | 0.014 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.015 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FA3AD
#9FA3AD
oklch(71.5% 0.015 268.4)
- #A7A399
#A7A399
oklch(71.6% 0.015 88.7)
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 #9FA3AD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.014
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.018
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.025
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.029
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.032
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.034
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.040
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.041
Use #9FA3AD 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.