What color is #859699?

#859699 is a medium low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(133, 150, 153), and in HSL hsl(189, 9%, 56%).

Is #859699 accessible as text?

On white, #859699 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 #859699, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #859699?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-400 (#9F9FA9).

What colors go well with #859699?

As a neutral, #859699 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 #859699 the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #859699 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.

#859699 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #859699

Not just a swatch — here's how #859699 works with other colors. Named schemes with #859699 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #859699 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 #859699 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #859699 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #ABBBBE

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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #859699 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #859699 Secondary #B9BFC0 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 #859699 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 44/100

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 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 37/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 8/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #859699

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #859699 with

Dark Gray Light Slate Gray Beaver Platinum Charcoal

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 #E7EAEA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #858F99 — 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 #859699 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: #859699;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 150 153;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(66.1% 0.020 209.4);
  --color-50: #F7F8F8;
  --color-100: #E9ECED;
  --color-200: #D3D9DA;
  --color-300: #B2BCBD;
  --color-400: #929EA0;
  --color-500: #728082;
  --color-600: #5B6567;
  --color-700: #444A4B;
  --color-800: #2E3233;
  --color-900: #1D1F20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  pewter: {
    50: '#F7F8F8',
    100: '#E9ECED',
    200: '#D3D9DA',
    300: '#B2BCBD',
    400: '#929EA0',
    500: '#728082',
    600: '#5B6567',
    700: '#444A4B',
    800: '#2E3233',
    900: '#1D1F20',
  },
}

$base: #859699;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F8;
$base-100: #E9ECED;
$base-200: #D3D9DA;
$base-300: #B2BCBD;
$base-400: #929EA0;
$base-500: #728082;
$base-600: #5B6567;
$base-700: #444A4B;
$base-800: #2E3233;
$base-900: #1D1F20;
$base-hover: #68797D;
$base-subtle: #DBDFE0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#859699",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9ECED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D9DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B2BCBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#929EA0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#728082",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B6567",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#444A4B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E3233",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1F20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}