#A9A8CD
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(74.5% 0.053 286.3), rgb(169, 168, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.16:1).
About this color
#A9A8CD is a medium-light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.053 and its hue 286°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.047 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.16:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.053) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 9.16:1 |
| White text | 2.29:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9A8CD |
| RGB | rgb(169, 168, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(242, 27%, 73%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74.5% 0.053 286.3) |
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 #A9A8CD | 2.29:1 | Fails | Lc -50.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A9A8CD | 9.16:1 | AAA | Lc 58.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A9A8CD text on white | 2.29:1 | Fails | Lc 45.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A9A8CD text on black | 9.16:1 | AAA | Lc -56.9 | 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
#E9E9F0
oklch(93.6% 0.009 286.2)
-
Step 200
200
#D8D8E5
oklch(88.6% 0.018 286)
-
Step 300
300
#BEBED6
oklch(80.9% 0.034 285.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A9A8CD
oklch(74.5% 0.053 286.3)
-
Step 500
500
#8684B1
oklch(63.2% 0.067 286.3)
-
Step 600
600
#706D9D
oklch(55.7% 0.074 286.6)
-
Step 700
700
#5D5B86
oklch(49.1% 0.068 285.7)
-
Step 800
800
#4C4A6D
oklch(42.6% 0.058 286.3)
-
Step 900
900
#3F3E58
oklch(37.6% 0.044 285.8)
-
Step 950
950
#252434
oklch(26.9% 0.03 287.1)
#A9A8CD 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) | #9FACCF | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EAACC | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A2AEB4 | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.053 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9A8CD
#A9A8CD
oklch(74.5% 0.053 286.3)
- #B0AF88
#B0AF88
oklch(74.5% 0.053 106.4)
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 #A9A8CD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.047
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.049
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.052
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.054
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.065
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.065
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.065
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.065
Use #A9A8CD 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.