Exploring the Color #9CA3C6

#9CA3C6 sits at 230° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 27% saturation and 69% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 156, 163, 198 produces a 8.47:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #9CA3C6 is a clear variant of CSS silver — about 47 units away from #C0C0C0. Designers reach for blue hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades