What color is #86ABBF?

#86ABBF is a light, muted cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(134, 171, 191), and in HSL hsl(201, 31%, 64%).

Is #86ABBF accessible as text?

On white, #86ABBF has a contrast ratio of 2.44:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.59:1 (passes). For text placed on #86ABBF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #86ABBF?

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

What colors go well with #86ABBF?

#86ABBF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C09B87. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #86ABBF below.

Is #86ABBF good for buttons?

#86ABBF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #86ABBF — white text only reaches 2.44:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #86ABBF the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #86ABBF 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.

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

Palettes built on #86ABBF

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #86ABBF 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 #86ABBF Accent #A6C4C0 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 #86ABBF Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B2A0 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 #86ABBF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #AFD1E3

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 #86ABBF Secondary #C7D4DB 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 #86ABBF 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 35/100

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 0/100

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 19/100

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 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #86ABBF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #86ABBF with

Ash Gray Cool Gray Camel 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 #E9EEF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8799C0 — 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 #86ABBF 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: #86ABBF;
  --color-base-rgb: 134 171 191;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.1% 0.050 231.9);
  --color-50: #F5F8FA;
  --color-100: #E4EDF1;
  --color-200: #CADAE3;
  --color-300: #A4BECC;
  --color-400: #7FA1B3;
  --color-500: #5F8396;
  --color-600: #4E6774;
  --color-700: #3B4B54;
  --color-800: #293338;
  --color-900: #1A2023;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F8FA',
    100: '#E4EDF1',
    200: '#CADAE3',
    300: '#A4BECC',
    400: '#7FA1B3',
    500: '#5F8396',
    600: '#4E6774',
    700: '#3B4B54',
    800: '#293338',
    900: '#1A2023',
  },
}

$base: #86ABBF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F8FA;
$base-100: #E4EDF1;
$base-200: #CADAE3;
$base-300: #A4BECC;
$base-400: #7FA1B3;
$base-500: #5F8396;
$base-600: #4E6774;
$base-700: #3B4B54;
$base-800: #293338;
$base-900: #1A2023;
$base-hover: #5C8EA9;
$base-subtle: #DDE5EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#86ABBF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4EDF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CADAE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A4BECC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7FA1B3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5F8396",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4E6774",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3B4B54",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293338",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2023",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}