#A8A9BF
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.1% 0.032 283.5), rgb(168, 169, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.09:1).
About this color
#A8A9BF is a medium-light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.032 and its hue 284°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.09:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.032) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.09:1 |
| White text | 2.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A8A9BF |
| RGB | rgb(168, 169, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(237, 15%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.1% 0.032 283.5) |
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 #A8A9BF | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc -50.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A8A9BF | 9.09:1 | AAA | Lc 58.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A8A9BF text on white | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc 45.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A8A9BF text on black | 9.09:1 | AAA | Lc -56.5 | 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
#E9E9EE
oklch(93.5% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D8D8E0
oklch(88.5% 0.011 286.2)
-
Step 300
300
#BEBFCD
oklch(80.8% 0.02 282.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A8A9BF
oklch(74.1% 0.032 283.5)
-
Step 500
500
#8687A2
oklch(63.2% 0.04 283.5)
-
Step 600
600
#6F708D
oklch(55.5% 0.045 283.3)
-
Step 700
700
#5D5E78
oklch(49.1% 0.041 283)
-
Step 800
800
#4C4D61
oklch(42.7% 0.033 282.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3F404F
oklch(37.7% 0.026 282.1)
-
Step 950
950
#25252E
oklch(26.8% 0.017 285.2)
#A8A9BF 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) | #A4ABC0 | 0.007 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A3AABE | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A3ADB0 | 0.029 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.032 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A8A9BF
#A8A9BF
oklch(74.1% 0.032 283.5)
- #AEAC96
#AEAC96
oklch(74% 0.031 102.9)
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 #A8A9BF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.030
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.032
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.035
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.051
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.052
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.054
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.054
Use #A8A9BF 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.