What color is #87B8CA?

#87B8CA is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(135, 184, 202), and in HSL hsl(196, 39%, 66%).

Is #87B8CA accessible as text?

On white, #87B8CA has a contrast ratio of 2.16:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.74:1 (passes). For text placed on #87B8CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #87B8CA?

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

What colors go well with #87B8CA?

#87B8CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CA9986. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #87B8CA below.

Is #87B8CA good for buttons?

#87B8CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #87B8CA — white text only reaches 2.16:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #87B8CA the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #87B8CA 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.

#87B8CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #87B8CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #87B8CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #87B8CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #87B8CA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 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 #87B8CA Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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 #87B8CA 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 #87B8CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #B1DEEF

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 #87B8CA Secondary #CFDFE6 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 #87B8CA 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 33/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 69/100

High

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

Depth 24/100

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 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 22/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 32/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 85/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #87B8CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #87B8CA with

Light Blue Cool Gray Camel 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 8.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9F0F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #86A2CA — 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 #87B8CA 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: #87B8CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 135 184 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.4% 0.058 222.6);
  --color-50: #F4F9FB;
  --color-100: #E2EFF3;
  --color-200: #C6DEE6;
  --color-300: #9EC3D1;
  --color-400: #79A8B9;
  --color-500: #588A9D;
  --color-600: #496C79;
  --color-700: #384F57;
  --color-800: #27353A;
  --color-900: #192124;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F4F9FB',
    100: '#E2EFF3',
    200: '#C6DEE6',
    300: '#9EC3D1',
    400: '#79A8B9',
    500: '#588A9D',
    600: '#496C79',
    700: '#384F57',
    800: '#27353A',
    900: '#192124',
  },
}

$base: #87B8CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FB;
$base-100: #E2EFF3;
$base-200: #C6DEE6;
$base-300: #9EC3D1;
$base-400: #79A8B9;
$base-500: #588A9D;
$base-600: #496C79;
$base-700: #384F57;
$base-800: #27353A;
$base-900: #192124;
$base-hover: #589DB6;
$base-subtle: #DDE9ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#87B8CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2EFF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6DEE6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EC3D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#79A8B9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#588A9D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#496C79",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#384F57",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27353A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192124",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}