#A3A8BD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.4% 0.031 275), rgb(163, 168, 189).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.89:1).
About this color
#A3A8BD is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 73%, its chroma 0.031 and its hue 275°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.89:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (73%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.031) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.89:1 |
| White text | 2.36:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A3A8BD |
| RGB | rgb(163, 168, 189) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 16%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.4% 0.031 275) |
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 #A3A8BD | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc -51.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A3A8BD | 8.89:1 | AAA | Lc 57.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A3A8BD text on white | 2.36:1 | Fails | Lc 46.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A3A8BD text on black | 8.89:1 | AAA | Lc -55.5 | 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
#F5F5F7
oklch(97.1% 0.003 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAEE
oklch(93.7% 0.005 275)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D9E0
oklch(88.6% 0.01 273.3)
-
Step 300
300
#BDC0CD
oklch(80.9% 0.018 275.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A3A8BD
oklch(73.4% 0.031 275)
-
Step 500
500
#8288A2
oklch(63.1% 0.04 275)
-
Step 600
600
#6C728D
oklch(55.7% 0.043 275.1)
-
Step 700
700
#5A5F78
oklch(49.1% 0.041 276)
-
Step 800
800
#494E61
oklch(42.7% 0.032 273.4)
-
Step 900
900
#3D414F
oklch(37.7% 0.025 272.6)
-
Step 950
950
#24262F
oklch(27% 0.017 275.4)
#A3A8BD 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) | #A2AABE | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1A8BC | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9DACAF | 0.028 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.031 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A3A8BD
#A3A8BD
oklch(73.4% 0.031 275)
- #AFA994
#AFA994
oklch(73.4% 0.03 93.8)
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 #A3A8BD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.023
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.031
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.040
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.040
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.046
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.046
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.054
Use #A3A8BD 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.