#9FA8BC
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.1% 0.031 266.3), rgb(159, 168, 188).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.80:1).
About this color
#9FA8BC is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.031 and its hue 266°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.018 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.80:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.031) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.80:1 |
| White text | 2.38:1 |
Values
| HEX | #9FA8BC |
| RGB | rgb(159, 168, 188) |
| HSL | hsl(221, 18%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.1% 0.031 266.3) |
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 #9FA8BC | 2.38:1 | Fails | Lc -52.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #9FA8BC | 8.80:1 | AAA | Lc 57.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA8BC text on white | 2.38:1 | Fails | Lc 47.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #9FA8BC text on black | 8.80:1 | AAA | Lc -55.0 | 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
#D6D9E0
oklch(88.5% 0.01 267.4)
-
Step 300
300
#BBC1CD
oklch(81% 0.018 264.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#9FA8BC
oklch(73.1% 0.031 266.3)
-
Step 500
500
#7E89A2
oklch(63% 0.04 266.5)
-
Step 600
600
#68738D
oklch(55.6% 0.043 267)
-
Step 700
700
#566078
oklch(49% 0.041 267.2)
-
Step 800
800
#474F61
oklch(42.8% 0.032 266.2)
-
Step 900
900
#3B4150
oklch(37.6% 0.027 268)
-
Step 950
950
#23262F
oklch(26.9% 0.017 270.7)
#9FA8BC 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) | #A2A9BD | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0A7BC | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #98ACAE | 0.028 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A8A8A8 | 0.031 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #9FA8BC
#9FA8BC
oklch(73.1% 0.031 266.3)
- #B0A793
#B0A793
oklch(73% 0.03 86.7)
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 #9FA8BC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.018
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.031
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.036
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.041
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.041
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.042
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.043
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.051
Use #9FA8BC 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.