What color is #9CB5BF?

#9CB5BF is a light, grayish azure, closest to the named color Shallow Sea. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #9CB5BF?

The RGB value is 156, 181, 191: 156 red, 181 green and 191 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #9CB5BF?

The complementary color is #BFA69C, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #9CB5BF?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 9.78:1 and white text 2.15:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#9CB5BF color

#9CB5BF rgb(156, 181, 191)

Shades of gray

The hex color #9CB5BF is a light, grayish azure.

In the RGB color model it is made of 61.2% red, 71% green and 74.9% blue (156, 181, 191).

Its hue angle is 197°, with 21% saturation and 68% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 18% cyan, 5% magenta, 0% yellow and 25% black.

The closest named color is Shallow Sea (#9AB8C2), a difference of 1.7 ΔE, which is barely visible.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 9.78:1).

#9CB5BF color codes

HEX	`#9CB5BF`
RGB	`rgb(156, 181, 191)`
RGB percent	`rgb(61.2%, 71%, 74.9%)`
HSL	`hsl(197, 21%, 68%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(197, 18%, 75%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(18%, 5%, 0%, 25%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(72.15, -6.38, -7.94)`
CIE LCH	`lch(72.15, 10.19, 231.2)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(39.636, 43.876, 55.661)`
Decimal	`10270143`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #9CB5BF, 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 #9CB5BF	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	9.78:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.15:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#9CB5BF as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.15:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	9.78:1	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 #9CB5BF looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #9cb5bf; }
.text { color: #9cb5bf; }
.border { border: 2px solid #9cb5bf; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(156 181 191 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #9cb5bf, #9ca4bf); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Light Steel Blue.

Questions

What color is #9CB5BF?: #9CB5BF is a light, grayish azure, closest to the named color Shallow Sea. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #9CB5BF?: The RGB value is 156, 181, 191: 156 red, 181 green and 191 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #9CB5BF?: The complementary color is #BFA69C, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #9CB5BF?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 9.78:1 and white text 2.15:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.