What color is #86A1BB?

#86A1BB is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(134, 161, 187), and in HSL hsl(209, 28%, 63%).

Is #86A1BB accessible as text?

On white, #86A1BB has a contrast ratio of 2.68:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.83:1 (passes). For text placed on #86A1BB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #86A1BB?

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

What colors go well with #86A1BB?

#86A1BB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BBA086. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #86A1BB below.

Is #86A1BB good for buttons?

#86A1BB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #86A1BB — white text only reaches 2.68:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #86A1BB the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #86A1BB 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.

#86A1BB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #86A1BB

Not just a swatch — here's how #86A1BB works with other colors. Named schemes with #86A1BB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #86A1BB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 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 #86A1BB Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #86A1BB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #86A1BB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #ADC7DF

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 #86A1BB Secondary #C1CBD5 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 #86A1BB 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 36/100

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 29/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 44/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 89/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #86A1BB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #86A1BB with

Ash Gray Cool Gray Camel Gainsboro 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 Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8ECF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8690BB — 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 #86A1BB 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: #86A1BB;
  --color-base-rgb: 134 161 187;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(69.8% 0.049 247.5);
  --color-50: #F5F7FA;
  --color-100: #E5EBF1;
  --color-200: #CBD7E2;
  --color-300: #A6B8CA;
  --color-400: #829AB0;
  --color-500: #627B93;
  --color-600: #4F6172;
  --color-700: #3C4853;
  --color-800: #2A3137;
  --color-900: #1B1F22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F7FA',
    100: '#E5EBF1',
    200: '#CBD7E2',
    300: '#A6B8CA',
    400: '#829AB0',
    500: '#627B93',
    600: '#4F6172',
    700: '#3C4853',
    800: '#2A3137',
    900: '#1B1F22',
  },
}

$base: #86A1BB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F7FA;
$base-100: #E5EBF1;
$base-200: #CBD7E2;
$base-300: #A6B8CA;
$base-400: #829AB0;
$base-500: #627B93;
$base-600: #4F6172;
$base-700: #3C4853;
$base-800: #2A3137;
$base-900: #1B1F22;
$base-hover: #5D82A4;
$base-subtle: #DDE3E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#86A1BB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5EBF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBD7E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6B8CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#829AB0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#627B93",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F6172",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C4853",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3137",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1F22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}