#A4A9CB
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.2% 0.049 278.5), rgb(164, 169, 203).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.11:1).
About this color
#A4A9CB is a medium-light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.049 and its hue 279°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.040 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.11:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.049) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.11:1 |
| White text | 2.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A4A9CB |
| RGB | rgb(164, 169, 203) |
| HSL | hsl(232, 27%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.2% 0.049 278.5) |
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 #A4A9CB | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc -50.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A4A9CB | 9.11:1 | AAA | Lc 58.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A4A9CB text on white | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc 45.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A4A9CB text on black | 9.11:1 | AAA | Lc -56.7 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F0
oklch(93.5% 0.009 279.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E5
oklch(88.5% 0.018 279)
-
Step 300
300
#BCBFD5
oklch(80.9% 0.031 279.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A4A9CB
oklch(74.2% 0.049 278.5)
-
Step 500
500
#8086B0
oklch(63.1% 0.064 278.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6A6F9B
oklch(55.5% 0.069 278.9)
-
Step 700
700
#585D85
oklch(49.1% 0.064 278.3)
-
Step 800
800
#484C6C
oklch(42.7% 0.053 278.4)
-
Step 900
900
#3C4057
oklch(37.8% 0.04 276.7)
-
Step 950
950
#232533
oklch(26.9% 0.026 278.2)
#A4A9CB 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) | #A0ACCD | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EA9CA | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9BAFB4 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.049 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A4A9CB
#A4A9CB
oklch(74.2% 0.049 278.5)
- #B3AC89
#B3AC89
oklch(74.1% 0.049 98)
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 #A4A9CB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.040
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.046
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.050
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.058
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.058
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.058
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.062
Use #A4A9CB 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.