What color is #88BDBE?

#88BDBE is a light, muted cyan. In RGB it is rgb(136, 189, 190), and in HSL hsl(181, 29%, 64%).

Is #88BDBE accessible as text?

On white, #88BDBE has a contrast ratio of 2.09:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.07:1 (passes). For text placed on #88BDBE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #88BDBE?

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

What colors go well with #88BDBE?

#88BDBE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BE8989. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #88BDBE below.

Is #88BDBE good for buttons?

#88BDBE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #88BDBE — white text only reaches 2.09:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #88BDBE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #88BDBE 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.

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

Palettes built on #88BDBE

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #88BDBE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Ash Gray 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 #88BDBE Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Ash Gray 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 #88BDBE Accent #A6C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Ash Gray 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 #F6F4EF Accent #88BDBE Secondary #D1E3E3 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Ash Gray 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #88BDBE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #B2E3E4

Ash Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Ash Gray.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #88BDBE 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 70/100

High

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

Depth 23/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 9/100

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 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 29/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 61/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 86/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #88BDBE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #88BDBE with

Ash Gray 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 8.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9F0F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #89ABBE — 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 #88BDBE 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: #88BDBE;
  --color-base-rgb: 136 189 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(76.2% 0.055 197.5);
  --color-50: #F5FAFA;
  --color-100: #E4F1F1;
  --color-200: #CAE2E2;
  --color-300: #A5CACA;
  --color-400: #81B0B1;
  --color-500: #619394;
  --color-600: #4F7273;
  --color-700: #3C5353;
  --color-800: #293737;
  --color-900: #1B2223;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F5FAFA',
    100: '#E4F1F1',
    200: '#CAE2E2',
    300: '#A5CACA',
    400: '#81B0B1',
    500: '#619394',
    600: '#4F7273',
    700: '#3C5353',
    800: '#293737',
    900: '#1B2223',
  },
}

$base: #88BDBE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5FAFA;
$base-100: #E4F1F1;
$base-200: #CAE2E2;
$base-300: #A5CACA;
$base-400: #81B0B1;
$base-500: #619394;
$base-600: #4F7273;
$base-700: #3C5353;
$base-800: #293737;
$base-900: #1B2223;
$base-hover: #5EA5A7;
$base-subtle: #DDE9EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#88BDBE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5FAFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4F1F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CAE2E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A5CACA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#81B0B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#619394",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F7273",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C5353",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293737",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2223",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}