What color is #86ACA4?

#86ACA4 is a medium, muted teal. In RGB it is rgb(134, 172, 164), and in HSL hsl(167, 19%, 60%).

Is #86ACA4 accessible as text?

On white, #86ACA4 has a contrast ratio of 2.48:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.45:1 (passes). For text placed on #86ACA4, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #86ACA4?

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

What colors go well with #86ACA4?

#86ACA4 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AC868E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #86ACA4 below.

Is #86ACA4 good for buttons?

#86ACA4 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #86ACA4 — white text only reaches 2.48:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #86ACA4 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #86ACA4 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.

#86ACA4 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #86ACA4

Not just a swatch — here's how #86ACA4 works with other colors. Named schemes with #86ACA4 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #86ACA4 Secondary #AEB4B7 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #86ACA4 Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B5B19F 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #86ACA4 Accent #A7C4BC Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

Cadet Grey opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #86ACA4 Secondary #C5D2CF Support #979286 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #86ACA4 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #AED1CA

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #86ACA4 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 42/100

Neutral

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

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 19/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

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 60/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #86ACA4

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #86ACA4 with

Laurel Green Cadet Grey Rosy Brown Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 7.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8EDEC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #86A8AC — 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 #86ACA4 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: #86ACA4;
  --color-base-rgb: 134 172 164;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.4% 0.043 180.7);
  --color-50: #F6F9F8;
  --color-100: #E7EFED;
  --color-200: #CEDEDB;
  --color-300: #ABC4BF;
  --color-400: #89A9A2;
  --color-500: #6A8B84;
  --color-600: #556D68;
  --color-700: #404F4C;
  --color-800: #2C3533;
  --color-900: #1C2120;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F6F9F8',
    100: '#E7EFED',
    200: '#CEDEDB',
    300: '#ABC4BF',
    400: '#89A9A2',
    500: '#6A8B84',
    600: '#556D68',
    700: '#404F4C',
    800: '#2C3533',
    900: '#1C2120',
  },
}

$base: #86ACA4;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F9F8;
$base-100: #E7EFED;
$base-200: #CEDEDB;
$base-300: #ABC4BF;
$base-400: #89A9A2;
$base-500: #6A8B84;
$base-600: #556D68;
$base-700: #404F4C;
$base-800: #2C3533;
$base-900: #1C2120;
$base-hover: #639288;
$base-subtle: #DCE5E3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#86ACA4",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7EFED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDEDB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABC4BF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#89A9A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6A8B84",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#556D68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#404F4C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C3533",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2120",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}