What color is #86ABBC?

#86ABBC is a light, muted cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(134, 171, 188), and in HSL hsl(199, 29%, 63%).

Is #86ABBC accessible as text?

On white, #86ABBC has a contrast ratio of 2.45:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.56:1 (passes). For text placed on #86ABBC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #86ABBC?

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

What colors go well with #86ABBC?

#86ABBC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BC9785. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #86ABBC below.

Is #86ABBC good for buttons?

#86ABBC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #86ABBC — white text only reaches 2.45:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #86ABBC the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #86ABBC 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.

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

Palettes built on #86ABBC

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #86ABBC Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 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 #86ABBC Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #86ABBC 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 #86ABBC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #AFD1E0

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 #86ABBC Secondary #C6D3DA 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 #86ABBC 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 67/100

High

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

Depth 27/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 18/100

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 59/100

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 #86ABBC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #86ABBC with

Ash Gray Cool Gray Rosy Brown Platinum Charcoal

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 7.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8EEF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8598BC — 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 #86ABBC 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: #86ABBC;
  --color-base-rgb: 134 171 188;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.0% 0.047 227.7);
  --color-50: #F5F8FA;
  --color-100: #E4EDF1;
  --color-200: #CADBE2;
  --color-300: #A5BECA;
  --color-400: #81A2B1;
  --color-500: #618494;
  --color-600: #4F6873;
  --color-700: #3C4C53;
  --color-800: #293337;
  --color-900: #1B2023;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F8FA',
    100: '#E4EDF1',
    200: '#CADBE2',
    300: '#A5BECA',
    400: '#81A2B1',
    500: '#618494',
    600: '#4F6873',
    700: '#3C4C53',
    800: '#293337',
    900: '#1B2023',
  },
}

$base: #86ABBC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F8FA;
$base-100: #E4EDF1;
$base-200: #CADBE2;
$base-300: #A5BECA;
$base-400: #81A2B1;
$base-500: #618494;
$base-600: #4F6873;
$base-700: #3C4C53;
$base-800: #293337;
$base-900: #1B2023;
$base-hover: #5C8EA5;
$base-subtle: #DCE5E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#86ABBC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4EDF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CADBE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A5BECA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#81A2B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#618494",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F6873",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C4C53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293337",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2023",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}