#9FA5BE
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(72.5% 0.037 274.8), rgb(159, 165, 190).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.59:1).
About this color
#9FA5BE is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.037 and its hue 275°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.59:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.037) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.59:1 |
| White text | 2.44:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FA5BE |
| RGB | rgb(159, 165, 190) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 19%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(72.5% 0.037 274.8) |
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 #9FA5BE | 2.44:1 | Fails | Lc -53.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9FA5BE | 8.59:1 | AAA | Lc 55.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA5BE text on white | 2.44:1 | Fails | Lc 48.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA5BE text on black | 8.59:1 | AAA | Lc -53.9 | 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
#F5F5F7
oklch(97.1% 0.003 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EAEE
oklch(93.7% 0.006 264.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D9E2
oklch(88.6% 0.013 271.3)
-
Step 300
300
#BCC0D0
oklch(81% 0.023 274.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9FA5BE
oklch(72.5% 0.037 274.8)
-
Step 500
500
#8188A7
oklch(63.2% 0.047 275)
-
Step 600
600
#6A7192
oklch(55.5% 0.052 275.3)
-
Step 700
700
#585F7C
oklch(49.1% 0.047 274)
-
Step 800
800
#484E65
oklch(42.8% 0.039 273.3)
-
Step 900
900
#3C4152
oklch(37.8% 0.03 272.1)
-
Step 950
950
#232630
oklch(27% 0.019 272)
#9FA5BE 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) | #9EA7BF | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9CA5BD | 0.004 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #98A9AD | 0.032 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A6A6A6 | 0.037 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FA5BE
#9FA5BE
oklch(72.5% 0.037 274.8)
- #ADA68D
#ADA68D
oklch(72.4% 0.036 94.2)
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 #9FA5BE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.022
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.038
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.038
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.039
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.040
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.046
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.049
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.050
Use #9FA5BE 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.