#9CA3AF — Tints, Shades & Color Values

Tailwind CSS gray-400 · Every value on this page is precomputed — copy what you need.

#9CA3AF is a light, muted blue. In Tailwind CSS this exact color is the utility class gray-400 (e.g. bg-gray-400, text-gray-400). Its nearest CSS named color is darkgray (#a9a9a9). For readable text on a #9CA3AF background, black text gives the strongest contrast (8.27:1). #9CA3AF sits in the middle of the lightness range, so it can serve as a primary brand or accent color — use its tints for backgrounds and its shades for text and pressed states.

Color Values

Need these in another format? Use our hex to RGB converter for quick two-way conversion.

#9CA3AF in Tailwind CSS (gray-400)

#9CA3AF ships with Tailwind CSS as gray-400 — use it as bg-gray-400, text-gray-400, or border-gray-400. It sits at step 400 of the gray ramp; every other step links to its own page:

• 50
• 100
• 200
• 300
• 400
• 500
• 600
• 700
• 800
• 900
• 950

Browse the full Tailwind palette in the color library, or generate in-between steps with the tint & shade generator.

Tints of #9CA3AF (Mixed with White)

Each step blends the base color toward white using new = old + (255 − old) × factor. Click a swatch to open it in the generator.

• 10% tint #a6acb7 Copy
• 20% tint #b0b5bf Copy
• 30% tint #babfc7 Copy
• 40% tint #c4c8cf Copy
• 50% tint #ced1d7 Copy
• 60% tint #d7dadf Copy
• 70% tint #e1e3e7 Copy
• 80% tint #ebedef Copy
• 90% tint #f5f6f7 Copy

Shades of #9CA3AF (Mixed with Black)

Each step blends the base color toward black using new = old × (1 − factor).

• 10% shade #8c939e Copy
• 20% shade #7d828c Copy
• 30% shade #6d727a Copy
• 40% shade #5e6269 Copy
• 50% shade #4e5258 Copy
• 60% shade #3e4146 Copy
• 70% shade #2f3135 Copy
• 80% shade #1f2123 Copy
• 90% shade #101011 Copy

WCAG Contrast & Accessibility

Contrast ratios for text placed on a #9CA3AF background. WCAG requires 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 3:1 for large text (AA), and 7:1 for normal text (AAA).

If neither pure white nor pure black reaches the level you need, pick a darker shade of #9CA3AF from the ramps above as the background instead — small lightness moves change contrast quickly. Test any other pair with the free contrast checker.

More blue colors in the library: #94A3B8 (slate-400), #667EEA (indigo-500), #6366F1 (indigo-500), #60A5FA (blue-400), #3B82F6 (blue-500), #4F46E5 (indigo-600).

Frequently Asked Questions

• What color is #9CA3AF?

  #9CA3AF is a light, muted blue — rgb(156, 163, 175). Its nearest CSS named color is darkgray. In Tailwind CSS it is gray-400.

• How do I make tints and shades of #9CA3AF?

  Mix #9CA3AF with white for tints and with black for shades. A 20% tint of #9CA3AF is #b0b5bf and a 20% shade is #7d828c — the full 10%–90% ramps are precomputed on this page, or open #9CA3AF in the generator for finer steps.

• What text color is readable on #9CA3AF?

  Black text gives the strongest contrast on a #9CA3AF background at 8.27:1, which passes WCAG AA and AAA for normal text.

• What is the Tailwind CSS class for #9CA3AF?

  gray-400 — use it as bg-gray-400, text-gray-400, or border-gray-400. The full gray 50–950 ramp is linked above.

Browse more colors in the color library, or start from any hex code on the HexTints homepage.