What color is #8A9986?

#8A9986 is a medium low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(138, 153, 134), and in HSL hsl(107, 9%, 56%).

Is #8A9986 accessible as text?

On white, #8A9986 has a contrast ratio of 3.01:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 6.98:1 (passes). For text placed on #8A9986, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8A9986?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-400 (#A6A09B).

What colors go well with #8A9986?

As a neutral, #8A9986 pairs cleanly with either light or dark text depending on the surface, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #8A9986 the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #8A9986 is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) 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.

#8A9986 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8A9986

Not just a swatch — here's how #8A9986 works with other colors. Named schemes with #8A9986 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #8A9986 Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B7B09F Ink #2B2723

Pewter 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.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #8A9986 Secondary #4D6B3B Accent #AE6B00 Surface #EFEAD6 Anchor #3D2F21

Pewter leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #8A9986 Accent #A8C4BA Surface #E2D9BE Secondary #9AA09F Anchor #193648

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

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #8A9986 Surface #DDD0A8 Secondary #AB7E4E Accent #8C9B73 Anchor #3C2D1E

Pewter holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #8A9986 Secondary #BCC1BA Support #989286 Ink #17140F

Pewter 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 Pewter carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #8A9986 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 50/100

Neutral

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

Softness 65/100

High

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

Depth 32/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 48/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 38/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 45/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8A9986

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8A9986 with

Dark Gray Pewter Cool Gray Platinum Outer Space

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 Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8EAE7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #859987 — 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 #8A9986 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: #8A9986;
  --color-base-rgb: 138 153 134;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(66.5% 0.032 139.1);
  --color-50: #F7F8F7;
  --color-100: #E9EDE9;
  --color-200: #D4DAD3;
  --color-300: #B4BDB2;
  --color-400: #95A092;
  --color-500: #768272;
  --color-600: #5E675B;
  --color-700: #454B44;
  --color-800: #2F332E;
  --color-900: #1E201D;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  pewter: {
    50: '#F7F8F7',
    100: '#E9EDE9',
    200: '#D4DAD3',
    300: '#B4BDB2',
    400: '#95A092',
    500: '#768272',
    600: '#5E675B',
    700: '#454B44',
    800: '#2F332E',
    900: '#1E201D',
  },
}

$base: #8A9986;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F7;
$base-100: #E9EDE9;
$base-200: #D4DAD3;
$base-300: #B4BDB2;
$base-400: #95A092;
$base-500: #768272;
$base-600: #5E675B;
$base-700: #454B44;
$base-800: #2F332E;
$base-900: #1E201D;
$base-hover: #6C7D68;
$base-subtle: #DCE0DB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8A9986",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9EDE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D4DAD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B4BDB2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#95A092",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#768272",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5E675B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#454B44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #8A9986

Color Lab

Pairs with #8A9986

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export