#A9BCB5
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(77.9% 0.023 171.6), rgb(169, 188, 181).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.54:1).
About this color
#A9BCB5 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.023. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.54:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.023) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.54:1 |
| White text | 1.99:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9BCB5 |
| RGB | rgb(169, 188, 181) |
| HSL | hsl(158, 12%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.9% 0.023 171.6) |
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 #A9BCB5 | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc -43.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9BCB5 | 10.54:1 | AAA | Lc 65.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9BCB5 text on white | 1.99:1 | Fails | Lc 38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9BCB5 text on black | 10.54:1 | AAA | Lc -63.9 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6F5
oklch(97.1% 0.003 174.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EBE9
oklch(93.6% 0.006 170.4)
-
Step 200
200
#D1DCD8
oklch(88.5% 0.013 172.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9BCB5
oklch(77.9% 0.023 171.6)
-
Step 400
400
#8AA89E
oklch(70.6% 0.036 173)
-
Step 500
500
#6D9386
oklch(63.1% 0.046 171.7)
-
Step 600
600
#547D70
oklch(55.5% 0.05 172.6)
-
Step 700
700
#446A5D
oklch(49.2% 0.048 170.7)
-
Step 800
800
#38564C
oklch(42.6% 0.039 171.5)
-
Step 900
900
#31473F
oklch(37.7% 0.031 170.1)
-
Step 950
950
#1D2A25
oklch(27.1% 0.02 169.2)
#A9BCB5 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) | #BBB9B5 | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B7B7B5 | 0.022 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A5BCBA | 0.008 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.023 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9BCB5
#A9BCB5
oklch(77.9% 0.023 171.6)
- #C3B1B8
#C3B1B8
oklch(77.8% 0.023 352.1)
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 #A9BCB5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.026
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.046
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.049
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.050
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.050
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.055
Use #A9BCB5 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.