#9FA8BA
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73% 0.028 264.4), rgb(159, 168, 186).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.78:1).
About this color
#9FA8BA is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.028. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.78:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.028) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.78:1 |
| White text | 2.39:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FA8BA |
| RGB | rgb(159, 168, 186) |
| HSL | hsl(220, 16%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73% 0.028 264.4) |
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 #9FA8BA | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc -52.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9FA8BA | 8.78:1 | AAA | Lc 56.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA8BA text on white | 2.39:1 | Fails | Lc 47.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA8BA text on black | 8.78:1 | AAA | Lc -54.9 | 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
#E8EAED
oklch(93.6% 0.005 258.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D9E0
oklch(88.5% 0.01 267.4)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC1CC
oklch(81% 0.017 262.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9FA8BA
oklch(73% 0.028 264.4)
-
Step 500
500
#7F8AA0
oklch(63.2% 0.036 264.3)
-
Step 600
600
#68738B
oklch(55.5% 0.04 265.7)
-
Step 700
700
#566176
oklch(49.1% 0.036 263.3)
-
Step 800
800
#474F60
oklch(42.7% 0.03 265.3)
-
Step 900
900
#3B424E
oklch(37.7% 0.023 261.2)
-
Step 950
950
#23262E
oklch(26.9% 0.016 269.1)
#9FA8BA 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) | #A3A9BB | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0A6BA | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #99ABAE | 0.024 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.028 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FA8BA
#9FA8BA
oklch(73% 0.028 264.4)
- #B0A794
#B0A794
oklch(73.1% 0.029 85.7)
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 #9FA8BA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.016
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.028
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.033
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.040
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.040
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.040
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.042
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.050
Use #9FA8BA 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.