What color is #78ADBE?

#78ADBE is a medium cyan. In RGB it is rgb(120, 173, 190), and in HSL hsl(195, 35%, 61%).

Is #78ADBE accessible as text?

On white, #78ADBE has a contrast ratio of 2.46:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.52:1 (passes). For text placed on #78ADBE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #78ADBE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-400 (#9CA8AB).

What colors go well with #78ADBE?

#78ADBE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BE8A79. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #78ADBE below.

Is #78ADBE good for buttons?

#78ADBE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #78ADBE — white text only reaches 2.46:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #78ADBE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #78ADBE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) 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.

#78ADBE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #78ADBE

Not just a swatch — here's how #78ADBE works with other colors. Named schemes with #78ADBE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #78ADBE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #78ADBE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #78ADBE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Cadet Grey 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #78ADBE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #A2D2E2

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #78ADBE Secondary #C1D4DA Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Cadet Grey 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 Cadet Grey carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #78ADBE 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 32/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 65/100

High

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

Depth 27/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 42/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 55/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 84/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #78ADBE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #78ADBE with

Ash Gray Glaucous Rosy Brown Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

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

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

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 7.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E6EEF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #7996BE — 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 #78ADBE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #78ADBE;
  --color-base-rgb: 120 173 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.7% 0.061 219.9);
  --color-50: #F4F9FA;
  --color-100: #E3EEF2;
  --color-200: #C8DDE4;
  --color-300: #A1C3CE;
  --color-400: #7CA7B6;
  --color-500: #5C8A99;
  --color-600: #4B6C77;
  --color-700: #394E56;
  --color-800: #283539;
  --color-900: #1A2123;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F4F9FA',
    100: '#E3EEF2',
    200: '#C8DDE4',
    300: '#A1C3CE',
    400: '#7CA7B6',
    500: '#5C8A99',
    600: '#4B6C77',
    700: '#394E56',
    800: '#283539',
    900: '#1A2123',
  },
}

$base: #78ADBE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FA;
$base-100: #E3EEF2;
$base-200: #C8DDE4;
$base-300: #A1C3CE;
$base-400: #7CA7B6;
$base-500: #5C8A99;
$base-600: #4B6C77;
$base-700: #394E56;
$base-800: #283539;
$base-900: #1A2123;
$base-hover: #5192A8;
$base-subtle: #D9E5E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#78ADBE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EEF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8DDE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A1C3CE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7CA7B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5C8A99",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4B6C77",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394E56",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283539",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2123",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}