What color is #9CA8A2?

#9CA8A2 is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(156, 168, 162), and in HSL hsl(150, 6%, 64%).

Is #9CA8A2 accessible as text?

On white, #9CA8A2 has a contrast ratio of 2.46:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.54:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CA8A2, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CA8A2?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-400 (#A1A1A1).

What colors go well with #9CA8A2?

As a neutral, #9CA8A2 pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #9CA8A2 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9CA8A2 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9CA8A2 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9CA8A2

Not just a swatch — here's how #9CA8A2 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9CA8A2 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9CA8A2 Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B6B09F Ink #2A2723

Dark Gray sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9CA8A2 Accent #A7C4BB Surface #E1D9BE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1B3548

Dark Gray opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9CA8A2 Secondary #496C3E Accent #AB6D00 Surface #EEEAD6 Anchor #3C2F20

Dark Gray leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9CA8A2 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #C3CEC8

Dark Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Dark Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #9CA8A2 Secondary #CED2D0 Support #989286 Ink #17140F

Dark Gray is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Dark Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9CA8A2 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 48/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 72/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 20/100

Low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 32/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 28/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 69/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9CA8A2

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CA8A2 with

Ash Gray Dark Gray Platinum Outer Space

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 7.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECEDED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9EA9A7 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #9CA8A2 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #9CA8A2;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 168 162;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.0% 0.016 164.5);
  --color-50: #F7F8F7;
  --color-100: #E9ECEB;
  --color-200: #D4D9D6;
  --color-300: #B4BBB8;
  --color-400: #949E99;
  --color-500: #75807A;
  --color-600: #5D6561;
  --color-700: #454A47;
  --color-800: #2F3230;
  --color-900: #1D201F;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F7F8F7',
    100: '#E9ECEB',
    200: '#D4D9D6',
    300: '#B4BBB8',
    400: '#949E99',
    500: '#75807A',
    600: '#5D6561',
    700: '#454A47',
    800: '#2F3230',
    900: '#1D201F',
  },
}

$base: #9CA8A2;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F7;
$base-100: #E9ECEB;
$base-200: #D4D9D6;
$base-300: #B4BBB8;
$base-400: #949E99;
$base-500: #75807A;
$base-600: #5D6561;
$base-700: #454A47;
$base-800: #2F3230;
$base-900: #1D201F;
$base-hover: #7B8A83;
$base-subtle: #E2E5E3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CA8A2",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9ECEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D4D9D6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B4BBB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#949E99",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#75807A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5D6561",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#454A47",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F3230",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D201F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}