#A3A9BC
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(73.6% 0.028 271.7), rgb(163, 169, 188).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.95:1).
About this color
#A3A9BC is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.028. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.95:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.028) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.95:1 |
| White text | 2.34:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A3A9BC |
| RGB | rgb(163, 169, 188) |
| HSL | hsl(226, 16%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.6% 0.028 271.7) |
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 #A3A9BC | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc -51.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A3A9BC | 8.95:1 | AAA | Lc 57.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A3A9BC text on white | 2.34:1 | Fails | Lc 46.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A3A9BC text on black | 8.95:1 | AAA | Lc -55.8 | 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
#D7D9E0
oklch(88.6% 0.01 273.3)
-
Step 300
300
#BCC0CC
oklch(80.8% 0.017 271.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A3A9BC
oklch(73.6% 0.028 271.7)
-
Step 500
500
#8189A0
oklch(63.1% 0.036 270.2)
-
Step 600
600
#6B728B
oklch(55.5% 0.04 272.8)
-
Step 700
700
#596076
oklch(49.1% 0.036 271.2)
-
Step 800
800
#494E60
oklch(42.6% 0.031 272.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3D414E
oklch(37.7% 0.023 271.8)
-
Step 950
950
#24262E
oklch(27% 0.015 274.3)
#A3A9BC 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) | #A4AABD | 0.003 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A2A8BC | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9DACAF | 0.025 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A9A9A9 | 0.028 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A3A9BC
#A3A9BC
oklch(73.6% 0.028 271.7)
- #B0A996
#B0A996
oklch(73.5% 0.028 90.1)
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 #A3A9BC, 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 0.028
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.037
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.039
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.045
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.047
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.052
Use #A3A9BC 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.