#9FA3AF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.6% 0.018 271.2), rgb(159, 163, 175).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.33:1).
About this color
#9FA3AF 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 0.014 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.33:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.018) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.33:1 |
| White text | 2.52:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FA3AF |
| RGB | rgb(159, 163, 175) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 9%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.6% 0.018 271.2) |
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 #9FA3AF | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc -54.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9FA3AF | 8.33:1 | AAA | Lc 54.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA3AF text on white | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc 49.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA3AF text on black | 8.33:1 | AAA | Lc -52.5 | 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
#BEC0C8
oklch(80.9% 0.011 274.9)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9FA3AF
oklch(71.6% 0.018 271.2)
-
Step 500
500
#848998
oklch(63.1% 0.023 271)
-
Step 600
600
#6E7382
oklch(55.6% 0.024 271)
-
Step 700
700
#5C606E
oklch(49.1% 0.023 272.9)
-
Step 800
800
#4B4F5A
oklch(42.8% 0.019 269.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3E414A
oklch(37.6% 0.016 271)
-
Step 950
950
#25262B
oklch(27% 0.009 276.8)
#9FA3AF 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 | 0.003 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FA2AF | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9CA5A7 | 0.015 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.018 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FA3AF
#9FA3AF
oklch(71.6% 0.018 271.2)
- #A7A397
#A7A397
oklch(71.5% 0.018 91.6)
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 #9FA3AF, 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 0.020
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.026
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.031
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.032
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.034
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.039
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.043
Use #9FA3AF 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.