#9e9dab
a balanced, muted gray · neutral · closest name: Dark Gray
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #9e9dab is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Near-neutral, so temperature is a whisper rather than a statement — the tinted siblings below show which way it can lean.
Every format
| HEX | #9e9dab |
| RGB | rgb(158, 157, 171) |
| HSL | hsl(244, 8%, 64%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(8%, 8%, 0%, 33%) |
| LAB | lab(65.2 3.1 -7.1) |
| LCH | lch(65.2 7.8 293.7) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.701 0.020 289.1) |
| Decimal | 10395051 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.620 0.616 0.671) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #9e9dab;
background-color: #9e9dab;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#9e9dab] bg-[#9e9dab]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #9e9dab;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.620, green: 0.616, blue: 0.671)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#9e9dab")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFF9E9DAB)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(171, 157, 158)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #9e9dab is pinned to step 400; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F7F7F8;
--brand-100: #EFEFF1;
--brand-200: #DCDCE0;
--brand-300: #C3C3CB;
--brand-400: #9e9dab;
--brand-500: #878697;
--brand-600: #727184;
--brand-700: #5F5E6E;
--brand-800: #4C4B58;
--brand-900: #393942;
--brand-950: #242429;
--brand: #9e9dab;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #9e9dab
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #9e9dab
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Borders, dividers and quiet backgrounds
- ✓Long-form reading surfaces
- ✓Neutral UI chrome and typography
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #AAAB9D | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #9DA3AB | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #A59DAB | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #ABA59D | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #A3AB9D | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #AB9E9D | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #9DAB9E | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #AB9DA3 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#9e9dab text on a black background
contrast 7.86:1
#9e9dab text on a white background
contrast 2.67:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #9e9dab;
background-color: #9e9dab;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #9e9dab;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(158, 157, 171, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(158, 157, 171, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #9e9dab; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #9e9dab, #A79DAB);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #9e9dab
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Silver (#c0c0c0) — ΔE2000 11.9 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#9e9dab in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#9e9dab, answered
What color is #9e9dab?
#9e9dab is a balanced muted gray, closest to Dark Gray (ΔE2000 7.8). It sits at 244° on the hue wheel with 8% saturation and 64% lightness, which reads as neutral.
What is the RGB value of #9e9dab?
rgb(158, 157, 171) — 158 red, 157 green and 171 blue out of 255, or 62% / 61.6% / 67.1% by channel.
Is #9e9dab a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3432 and perceived brightness is 62%, so black text on it reaches 7.86:1.
Should I use black or white text on #9e9dab?
Black. It scores 7.86:1 against #9e9dab, versus 2.67:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #9e9dab?
#AAAB9D sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #ABA59D and #A3AB9D, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #9e9dab?
For interface work: #F7F7F8 as the surface, #D4D3D9 for borders, #6B6A7C for secondary text, #726E5A as an accent and #3C3B45 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #9DA3AB and #A59DAB stays calm, while #AAAB9D is the loudest partner.
What is #9e9dab in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(8%, 8%, 0%, 33%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #9e9dab warm or cool?
Neutral — it scores 57 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #B5A79D; nudged cooler, #919EAC.