What color is #9CA9AF?

#9CA9AF is a light, grayish azure, closest to the named color Crown of Ash. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #9CA9AF?

The RGB value is 156, 169, 175: 156 red, 169 green and 175 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #9CA9AF?

The complementary color is #AFA29C, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #9CA9AF?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 8.71:1 and white text 2.41:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#9CA9AF color

#9CA9AF rgb(156, 169, 175)

Shades of gray

The hex color #9CA9AF is a light, grayish azure.

In the RGB color model it is made of 61.2% red, 66.3% green and 68.6% blue (156, 169, 175).

Its hue angle is 199°, with 11% saturation and 65% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 11% cyan, 3% magenta, 0% yellow and 31% black.

The closest named color is Crown of Ash (#A1A9A9), a difference of 3.2 ΔE, a small difference.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 8.71:1).

#9CA9AF color codes

HEX	`#9CA9AF`
RGB	`rgb(156, 169, 175)`
RGB percent	`rgb(61.2%, 66.3%, 68.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(199, 11%, 65%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(199, 11%, 69%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(11%, 3%, 0%, 31%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(68.42, -3.33, -4.65)`
CIE LCH	`lch(68.42, 5.71, 234.41)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(35.634, 38.538, 46.11)`
Decimal	`10267055`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #9CA9AF, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #9CA9AF	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	8.71:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.41:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#9CA9AF as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.41:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	8.71:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #9CA9AF looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #9ca9af; }
.text { color: #9ca9af; }
.border { border: 2px solid #9ca9af; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(156 169 175 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #9ca9af, #9c9faf); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Dark Gray.

Questions

What color is #9CA9AF?: #9CA9AF is a light, grayish azure, closest to the named color Crown of Ash. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #9CA9AF?: The RGB value is 156, 169, 175: 156 red, 169 green and 175 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #9CA9AF?: The complementary color is #AFA29C, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #9CA9AF?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 8.71:1 and white text 2.41:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.