#A9BDBD
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(78.3% 0.022 196.7), rgb(169, 189, 189).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.70:1).
About this color
#A9BDBD is a light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.022. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.70:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.022) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.70:1 |
| White text | 1.96:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9BDBD |
| RGB | rgb(169, 189, 189) |
| HSL | hsl(180, 13%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.3% 0.022 196.7) |
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 #A9BDBD | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc -42.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #A9BDBD | 10.70:1 | AAA | Lc 66.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A9BDBD text on white | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc 37.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A9BDBD text on black | 10.70:1 | AAA | Lc -64.6 | 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
#F3F6F6
oklch(97.1% 0.003 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E5EBEB
oklch(93.6% 0.006 197)
-
Step 200
200
#D0DCDC
oklch(88.5% 0.013 196.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#A9BDBD
oklch(78.3% 0.022 196.7)
-
Step 400
400
#88A8A8
oklch(70.8% 0.035 196.4)
-
Step 500
500
#699293
oklch(63% 0.045 198)
-
Step 600
600
#507C7D
oklch(55.5% 0.048 197.7)
-
Step 700
700
#416969
oklch(49.1% 0.045 195.8)
-
Step 800
800
#365656
oklch(42.8% 0.038 195.8)
-
Step 900
900
#2F4747
oklch(37.8% 0.03 196)
-
Step 950
950
#1C2929
oklch(26.9% 0.018 196.1)
#A9BDBD 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) | #BABBBD | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B6B8BD | 0.021 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A3BEBD | 0.008 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.022 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9BDBD
#A9BDBD
oklch(78.3% 0.022 196.7)
- #C6B3B3
#C6B3B3
oklch(78.3% 0.022 17.6)
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 #A9BDBD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.022
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.036
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.039
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.041
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.048
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.052
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.053
Use #A9BDBD 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.