# #9ca5ce

A color — cool, muted, light, minimal, clean. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#9ca5ce`
- RGB: rgb(156, 165, 206)
- HSL: hsl(229, 34%, 71%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.729 0.06 275.1)
- Relative luminance: 0.3843
- Nearest named color: Imperial Lilac (#a99fcf, Δ 2.332) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/imperial-lilac
- Moods: cool, muted, light, minimal, clean
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/9ca5ce

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #a6aed3, #adb5d7, #b7bedc, #c1c7e1, #ccd1e6, #d3d7e9, #dde0ee, #e7e9f3, #eef0f7, #f8f9fc
- Shades (toward black): #848fc2, #6f7db8, #5867ad, #4a5896, #404c82, #343e6a, #283052, #1d223a, #131626, #07080e

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #cec59c
- Analogous: #9cbece, #ac9cce
- Triadic: #ce9ca5, #a5ce9c
- Split-complementary: #ceac9c, #bece9c
- Tetradic: #ce9cbe, #cec59c, #9cceac

## Colors that go with #9ca5ce

Named partners (harmony on the OKLCH wheel, co-occurrence in curated palettes and brand systems, and the neutrals that carry it), best first:

- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the text near-black for #9ca5ce: softer than #000 and cool enough to feel like part of the same palette. Seen in: Mercury (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mercury-com), Harbour (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#harbour), Paper & Pine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#paper-and-pine), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Deep Sky Blue** #00bfff [harmony, pool: analogous] — Deep Sky Blue is #9ca5ce's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Calm (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/calm-com), Max (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/max-com), Snowflake AI Data Cloud (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/snowflake-com), Remix (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/remix-run). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/deepskyblue
- **Sand** #c2b280 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Sand sits directly opposite #9ca5ce on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Garden Wedding (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#garden-wedding). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sand
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #9ca5ce in 4 real palettes, including Ahrefs's brand system and NBA's brand system, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Ahrefs (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/ahrefs-com), NBA (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nba-com), Blueprint (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/technical#blueprint), Salesforce (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/salesforce-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Dark Orange** #ff8c00 [pool] — Dark Orange shows up next to #9ca5ce in 4 real palettes, including Ahrefs's brand system and Learning App, as the lead colour. Seen in: Ahrefs (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/ahrefs-com), Learning App (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#learning-app), PayPal (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/paypal-com), Elastic (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/elastic-co). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkorange
- **Denim** #1560bd [pool] — Designers have shipped Denim with #9ca5ce: 4 real palettes, including Open House and Dusk, as the lead colour. Seen in: Open House (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#open-house), Dusk (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#dusk), Coca-Cola (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/coca-cola-com), Venmo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/venmo-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/denim
- **Dodger Blue** #1e90ff [pool] — Designers have shipped Dodger Blue with #9ca5ce: 5 real palettes, including Patreon's brand system and Opensea's brand system, as the accent. Seen in: Patreon (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/patreon-com), Opensea (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/opensea-io), Venmo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/venmo-com), Studio Grey (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#studio-grey). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/dodgerblue
- **Emerald Green** #50c878 [pool] — Emerald Green is paired with #9ca5ce in 4 real palettes, including Supabase's brand system and Ledger Dark, as the lead colour. Seen in: Supabase (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/supabase), Ledger Dark (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#ledger-dark), Obsidian (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/obsidian-md), Scale AI (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/scale-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/emerald-green

## Contrast (WCAG 2.x, as text)

- On white (#ffffff): 2.42:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #6270b2 (4.69:1); AA: background → #3b3b3b (4.63:1); AAA: text → #475490 (7.15:1); AAA: background → #1c1c1c (7.05:1)
- On black (#000000): 8.69:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass

## Fonts for this mood

- minimal: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/minimal
- clean: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/clean

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/9ca5ce-9c9fc4-df7e4e-231f2d-e9eef1?lock=0&style=vibrant
(Humans lock/regenerate in the tool; the URL is the state — read `lock=` back to see what they kept.)

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets colors endpoint for the same engine:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/colors/mcp
- Tools: `analyze_color` (e.g. `analyze_color({ color: "#9ca5ce" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.