Palettes / Colors / #9C99BC
#9C99BC — Light Dusty Blue
#9C99BC is a blue color we call Light Dusty Blue, closest to the named color DarkGray (#A9A9A9). It belongs to the blue family.
Color name
Closest CSS keyword: darkgray (#A9A9A9) — not an exact match. CSS darkgray gives you #A9A9A9, a different color; use #9C99BC when you need this exact shade.
Sources: common names follow widely used color-name references; CSS keywords and their hex values follow the CSS Color specification.
#9C99BC is a cool blue color associated with trust, calm and professionalism. It sits comfortably in the middle: usable for large areas in soft schemes, or as a supporting color beside something stronger.
Its strongest partner is its complement #BABD99; it also sits naturally between #99A8BD and #AE99BD. In the palettes below you can see it working alongside real color combinations from our collection.
Color values
| HEX | #9C99BC |
|---|---|
| RGB | 156, 153, 188 |
| HSL | 245°, 21%, 67% |
| HSV | 245°, 19%, 74% |
| CMYK | 17%, 19%, 0%, 26% |
| XYZ | 34.18, 33.48, 52.24 |
| Yxy | 33.48, 0.2851, 0.2792 |
| CIE-Lab | 64.55, 8.36, -17.69 |
| Hunter Lab | 57.86, 7.38, -16.79 |
RGB & CMYK percentages
Red 61% · Green 60% · Blue 74%
Cyan 17% · Magenta 19% · Yellow 0% · Key 26%
CMYK values are unprofiled approximations for screen reference — not a print-proofing guarantee.
Previews
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
CSS code for #9C99BC
.text { color: #9C99BC; }
.background { background-color: #9C99BC; }
.border { border: 3px solid #9C99BC; }
.text-rgb { color: rgb(156, 153, 188); }
.text-hsl { color: hsl(245, 21%, 67%); }
.text-shadow-hex { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px #9C99BC; }
.text-shadow-rgba { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px rgba(156, 153, 188, 0.8); }
.box-shadow-hex { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px #9C99BC; }
.box-shadow-rgba { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px rgba(156, 153, 188, 0.8); }
HTML: <p style="color:#9C99BC">Text here</p> · <div style="background-color:#9C99BC">Div content here</div>
Shades of #9C99BC
Tints of #9C99BC
Tones of #9C99BC
Color harmonies
Complementary — #BABD99:
Analogous:
Triadic:
Contrast & accessibility
| Against white text | 2.73:1 Fails |
|---|---|
| Against black text | 7.70:1 AAA |
Best text color on #9C99BC: #000000.
Semi-transparent (opacity) text on #9C99BC
Text set with opacity blends into the background, so its real contrast is lower than the solid ratios above. Choose a text color and an opacity to see the blended color and its true ratio:
Smaller body text shows the effect best.
Blended color: · Contrast against #9C99BC: ·
How #9C99BC looks with color blindness
Simulated with standard Machado color-vision-deficiency matrices — useful when this color carries meaning in charts, maps or interfaces:
Closest design-system colors
The nearest matches in the Tailwind CSS, Material Design and Bootstrap palettes — handy when you need a framework class instead of a raw hex:
Palettes with a similar color
These palettes use a close neighbour of #9C99BC rather than the exact color:
Similar colors
The closest colors that actually appear in our palette collection — click any to open its page:
Browse neighbouring colors
Frequently asked questions
What color is #9C99BC?
#9C99BC is Light Dusty Blue, a blue color (RGB 156, 153, 188). Its closest standard named color is DarkGray.
What is the RGB and HSL of #9C99BC?
#9C99BC is RGB 156, 153, 188 — HSL 245°, 21%, 67% — CMYK 17%, 19%, 0%, 26%.
What colors go with #9C99BC?
Its complement is #BABD99; analogous partners are #99A8BD and #AE99BD. It also appears in 6+ palettes in our collection.
Can I use #9C99BC for text?
Black text on #9C99BC has a contrast ratio of 7.70:1 (passes WCAG AA); white text gives 2.73:1.