#9C8A9E Color
#9C8A9E is rgb(156, 138, 158) in RGB, hsl(294, 9%, 58%) in HSL, and about cmyk(1%, 13%, 0%, 38%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Heliotrope Gray (#AA98A9), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 5.54. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.
#9C8A9Ergb(156, 138, 158)hsl(294, 9%, 58%)hsv(294, 13%, 62%)cmyk(1%, 13%, 0%, 38%)oklch(65.6% 0.036 322.8)lab(59.61% 9.78 -8.05)lch(59.61% 12.67 320.54)What #9C8A9E Is Called
Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #9C8A9E, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.
Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every gray in the library.
#9C8A9E Channel Values
How #9C8A9E breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.
| Model | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | R 156 · G 138 · B 158 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 294° · S 9% · L 58% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 294° · S 13% · V 62% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 1% · M 13% · Y 0% · K 38% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 3.21:1 vs white · 6.54:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #9C8A9E background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.
Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #9C8A9E in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #9C8A9E
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #9C8A9E; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.
Tints & Shades of #9C8A9E
Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.
Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #9C8A9E.
How #9C8A9E Looks with Color Vision Deficiency
Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.
#9C8A9E#8D8D9E#938C9E#90909E#958E9E#9A8D8D#9B8C94#909090Using #9C8A9E in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-9c8a9e: #9C8A9E;background-color: #9C8A9E;colors: { 'color-9c8a9e': '#9C8A9E' }Color(red: 0.612, green: 0.541, blue: 0.620)<color name="color_9c8a9e">#9C8A9E</color>fill="#9C8A9E"More Gray Colors
#9C8A9E sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#9C8A9E Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #9C8A9E?
#9C8A9E is a mid-tone gray — rgb(156, 138, 158) in RGB and hsl(294, 9%, 58%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Heliotrope Gray (#AA98A9), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 5.54.
What is the RGB value of #9C8A9E?
#9C8A9E is rgb(156, 138, 158) — red 156, green 138, and blue 158 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #9C8A9E?
#9C8A9E converts to approximately cmyk(1%, 13%, 0%, 38%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #9C8A9E be black or white?
Black text is the more readable choice. #9C8A9E scores 3.21:1 against white and 6.54:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #9C8A9E as a CSS color keyword?
No. #9C8A9E is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is gray (#808080) at a CIE76 distance of 14.03, which is visibly different.
Open #9C8A9E in a Tool
Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.