What color is #78999A?

#78999A is a medium low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(120, 153, 154), and in HSL hsl(182, 14%, 54%).

Is #78999A accessible as text?

On white, #78999A has a contrast ratio of 3.08:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 6.82:1 (passes). For text placed on #78999A, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #78999A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-400 (#99A1AF).

What colors go well with #78999A?

As a neutral, #78999A pairs cleanly with either light or dark text depending on the surface, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #78999A the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #78999A is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#78999A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #78999A

Not just a swatch — here's how #78999A works with other colors. Named schemes with #78999A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #78999A Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Pewter keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #78999A Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Pewter sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #78999A Accent #A6C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Pewter opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #78999A Secondary #B4C0C0 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Pewter is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Pewter carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #78999A Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #9FBEBF

Pewter is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Pewter.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #78999A actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 41/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 64/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 32/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 6/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 38/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 48/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #78999A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #78999A with

Sage Light Slate Gray Mocha Platinum Outer Space

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E5EAEA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #798E9A — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #78999A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #78999A;
  --color-base-rgb: 120 153 154;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(65.9% 0.037 198.6);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E8EDEE;
  --color-200: #D1DCDC;
  --color-300: #AFC0C1;
  --color-400: #8DA4A5;
  --color-500: #6E8687;
  --color-600: #58696A;
  --color-700: #424D4D;
  --color-800: #2D3434;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  pewter: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E8EDEE',
    200: '#D1DCDC',
    300: '#AFC0C1',
    400: '#8DA4A5',
    500: '#6E8687',
    600: '#58696A',
    700: '#424D4D',
    800: '#2D3434',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #78999A;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E8EDEE;
$base-200: #D1DCDC;
$base-300: #AFC0C1;
$base-400: #8DA4A5;
$base-500: #6E8687;
$base-600: #58696A;
$base-700: #424D4D;
$base-800: #2D3434;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #5F7D7E;
$base-subtle: #D8DFE0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#78999A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8EDEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D1DCDC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AFC0C1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8DA4A5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6E8687",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#58696A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#424D4D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D3434",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}