What color is #83979B?

#83979B is a medium low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(131, 151, 155), and in HSL hsl(190, 11%, 56%).

Is #83979B accessible as text?

On white, #83979B has a contrast ratio of 3.06:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 6.87:1 (passes). For text placed on #83979B, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #83979B?

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

What colors go well with #83979B?

As a neutral, #83979B 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 #83979B the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #83979B 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.

#83979B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #83979B

Not just a swatch — here's how #83979B works with other colors. Named schemes with #83979B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #83979B 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #83979B Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Pewter 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 #83979B Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #83979B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #A9BCC0

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #83979B Secondary #B9C0C1 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.

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Color Lab

How #83979B 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 43/100

Neutral

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

Softness 66/100

High

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

Depth 32/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 37/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 42/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 61/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #83979B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #83979B with

Dark Gray Light Slate Gray Beaver 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 6.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E7EAEA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #828F9B — 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 #83979B 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: #83979B;
  --color-base-rgb: 131 151 155;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(66.2% 0.024 211.1);
  --color-50: #F6F8F8;
  --color-100: #E8ECED;
  --color-200: #D2D9DB;
  --color-300: #B1BCBF;
  --color-400: #909FA2;
  --color-500: #718184;
  --color-600: #5A6568;
  --color-700: #434A4C;
  --color-800: #2E3233;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  pewter: {
    50: '#F6F8F8',
    100: '#E8ECED',
    200: '#D2D9DB',
    300: '#B1BCBF',
    400: '#909FA2',
    500: '#718184',
    600: '#5A6568',
    700: '#434A4C',
    800: '#2E3233',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #83979B;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F8;
$base-100: #E8ECED;
$base-200: #D2D9DB;
$base-300: #B1BCBF;
$base-400: #909FA2;
$base-500: #718184;
$base-600: #5A6568;
$base-700: #434A4C;
$base-800: #2E3233;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #667B7F;
$base-subtle: #DBDFE0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#83979B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8ECED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2D9DB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1BCBF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#909FA2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#718184",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5A6568",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#434A4C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E3233",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}