What color is #81B1AB?

#81B1AB is a medium, muted teal. In RGB it is rgb(129, 177, 171), and in HSL hsl(173, 24%, 60%).

Is #81B1AB accessible as text?

On white, #81B1AB has a contrast ratio of 2.38:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.81:1 (passes). For text placed on #81B1AB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #81B1AB?

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

What colors go well with #81B1AB?

#81B1AB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B18186. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #81B1AB below.

Is #81B1AB good for buttons?

#81B1AB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #81B1AB — white text only reaches 2.38:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #81B1AB the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #81B1AB 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.

#81B1AB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #81B1AB

Not just a swatch — here's how #81B1AB works with other colors. Named schemes with #81B1AB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #81B1AB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #81B1AB Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B5B19F 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #81B1AB Accent #A7C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

Cadet Grey 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 #F7F4EF Accent #81B1AB Secondary #C6D7D4 Support #979286 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #81B1AB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #ABD6D1

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #81B1AB 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 39/100

Neutral

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

Softness 67/100

High

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

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 16/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 20/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #81B1AB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #81B1AB with

Laurel Green Cool Gray 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 7.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E7EEED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #81A7B1 — 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 #81B1AB 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: #81B1AB;
  --color-base-rgb: 129 177 171;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.5% 0.052 186.5);
  --color-50: #F5F9F9;
  --color-100: #E5F0EF;
  --color-200: #CCE0DE;
  --color-300: #A8C7C3;
  --color-400: #85ADA8;
  --color-500: #65908B;
  --color-600: #52706C;
  --color-700: #3E514F;
  --color-800: #2B3635;
  --color-900: #1B2221;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F9F9',
    100: '#E5F0EF',
    200: '#CCE0DE',
    300: '#A8C7C3',
    400: '#85ADA8',
    500: '#65908B',
    600: '#52706C',
    700: '#3E514F',
    800: '#2B3635',
    900: '#1B2221',
  },
}

$base: #81B1AB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F9F9;
$base-100: #E5F0EF;
$base-200: #CCE0DE;
$base-300: #A8C7C3;
$base-400: #85ADA8;
$base-500: #65908B;
$base-600: #52706C;
$base-700: #3E514F;
$base-800: #2B3635;
$base-900: #1B2221;
$base-hover: #5D9891;
$base-subtle: #DBE6E5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#81B1AB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5F0EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCE0DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A8C7C3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#85ADA8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#65908B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#52706C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E514F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3635",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2221",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}