What color is #88A5B8?

#88A5B8 is a light, muted cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(136, 165, 184), and in HSL hsl(204, 25%, 63%).

Is #88A5B8 accessible as text?

On white, #88A5B8 has a contrast ratio of 2.59:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.12:1 (passes). For text placed on #88A5B8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #88A5B8?

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

What colors go well with #88A5B8?

#88A5B8 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B89C89. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #88A5B8 below.

Is #88A5B8 good for buttons?

#88A5B8 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #88A5B8 — white text only reaches 2.59:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #88A5B8 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #88A5B8 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.

#88A5B8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #88A5B8

Not just a swatch — here's how #88A5B8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #88A5B8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #88A5B8 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 #88A5B8 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 #88A5B8 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 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 #88A5B8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #B0CBDC

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 #88A5B8 Secondary #C4CED5 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 #88A5B8 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 37/100

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 28/100

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 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 39/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 59/100

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 #88A5B8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #88A5B8 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 7.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9EDF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8996B8 — 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 #88A5B8 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #88A5B8;
  --color-base-rgb: 136 165 184;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.7% 0.043 236.9);
  --color-50: #F5F8F9;
  --color-100: #E5ECF0;
  --color-200: #CCD8E0;
  --color-300: #A7BBC8;
  --color-400: #849DAE;
  --color-500: #647F90;
  --color-600: #516470;
  --color-700: #3D4951;
  --color-800: #2A3236;
  --color-900: #1B1F22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F8F9',
    100: '#E5ECF0',
    200: '#CCD8E0',
    300: '#A7BBC8',
    400: '#849DAE',
    500: '#647F90',
    600: '#516470',
    700: '#3D4951',
    800: '#2A3236',
    900: '#1B1F22',
  },
}

$base: #88A5B8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F8F9;
$base-100: #E5ECF0;
$base-200: #CCD8E0;
$base-300: #A7BBC8;
$base-400: #849DAE;
$base-500: #647F90;
$base-600: #516470;
$base-700: #3D4951;
$base-800: #2A3236;
$base-900: #1B1F22;
$base-hover: #6187A0;
$base-subtle: #DDE4E8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#88A5B8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5ECF0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCD8E0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A7BBC8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#849DAE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#647F90",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#516470",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D4951",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3236",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1F22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}