What color is #8A97BF?

#8A97BF is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(138, 151, 191), and in HSL hsl(225, 29%, 65%).

Is #8A97BF accessible as text?

On white, #8A97BF has a contrast ratio of 2.89:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.26:1 (passes). For text placed on #8A97BF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8A97BF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-400 (#A89EA9).

What colors go well with #8A97BF?

#8A97BF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C0B38C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #8A97BF below.

Is #8A97BF good for buttons?

#8A97BF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #8A97BF — white text only reaches 2.89:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #8A97BF the same as CSS lightslategray?

No — #8A97BF is not the CSS named color lightslategray, but lightslategray (#778899) 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.

#8A97BF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8A97BF

Not just a swatch — here's how #8A97BF works with other colors. Named schemes with #8A97BF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8A97BF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Cool Gray 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 #8A97BF Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Cool Gray 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 #8A97BF Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Cool 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #8A97BF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #B0BDE2

Cool 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 Cool Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #8A97BF Secondary #BFC4D3 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Cool 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 Cool Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #8A97BF 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 62/100

High

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 31/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 44/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 38/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 52/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 51/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8A97BF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8A97BF with

Light Steel Blue Cool Gray Khaki Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

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 6.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9EBF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #908CC0 — 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 #8A97BF 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: #8A97BF;
  --color-base-rgb: 138 151 191;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(68.0% 0.061 270.7);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E4E7F1;
  --color-200: #CAD0E2;
  --color-300: #A5AECA;
  --color-400: #818DB1;
  --color-500: #616E94;
  --color-600: #4F5873;
  --color-700: #3C4253;
  --color-800: #292D37;
  --color-900: #1B1D23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cool-gray: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E4E7F1',
    200: '#CAD0E2',
    300: '#A5AECA',
    400: '#818DB1',
    500: '#616E94',
    600: '#4F5873',
    700: '#3C4253',
    800: '#292D37',
    900: '#1B1D23',
  },
}

$base: #8A97BF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E4E7F1;
$base-200: #CAD0E2;
$base-300: #A5AECA;
$base-400: #818DB1;
$base-500: #616E94;
$base-600: #4F5873;
$base-700: #3C4253;
$base-800: #292D37;
$base-900: #1B1D23;
$base-hover: #6173A8;
$base-subtle: #DEE1EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8A97BF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4E7F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CAD0E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A5AECA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#818DB1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#616E94",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F5873",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C4253",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292D37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1D23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #8A97BF

Color Lab

Pairs with #8A97BF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export