What color is #8B8B90?

#8B8B90 is a medium low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(139, 139, 144), and in HSL hsl(240, 2%, 55%).

Is #8B8B90 accessible as text?

On white, #8B8B90 has a contrast ratio of 3.39:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 6.19:1 (passes). For text placed on #8B8B90, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8B8B90?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-400 (#9F9FA9).

What colors go well with #8B8B90?

As a neutral, #8B8B90 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 #8B8B90 the same as CSS lightslategray?

No — #8B8B90 is not the CSS named color lightslategray, but lightslategray (#778899) is the closest CSS named color.

#8B8B90 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8B8B90

Not just a swatch — here's how #8B8B90 works with other colors. Named schemes with #8B8B90 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #8B8B90 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 Ink #2C2724

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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #8B8B90 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #8B8B90 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #B0B0B5

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8B8B90 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Pewter keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #8B8B90 Secondary #B6B6B8 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

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 #8B8B90 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 66/100

High

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

Depth 33/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 39/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 3/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 40/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 99/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8B8B90

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8B8B90 with

Cadet Grey Pewter 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 Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 5.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8E8E8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8B8A8F — 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 #8B8B90 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #8B8B90;
  --color-base-rgb: 139 139 144;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(63.8% 0.007 286.2);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #EAEAEB;
  --color-200: #D5D5D8;
  --color-300: #B5B5BA;
  --color-400: #95959D;
  --color-500: #76767F;
  --color-600: #5D5D65;
  --color-700: #45454A;
  --color-800: #2F2F32;
  --color-900: #1D1D20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  pewter: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#EAEAEB',
    200: '#D5D5D8',
    300: '#B5B5BA',
    400: '#95959D',
    500: '#76767F',
    600: '#5D5D65',
    700: '#45454A',
    800: '#2F2F32',
    900: '#1D1D20',
  },
}

$base: #8B8B90;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #EAEAEB;
$base-200: #D5D5D8;
$base-300: #B5B5BA;
$base-400: #95959D;
$base-500: #76767F;
$base-600: #5D5D65;
$base-700: #45454A;
$base-800: #2F2F32;
$base-900: #1D1D20;
$base-hover: #6E6E72;
$base-subtle: #DCDCDD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8B8B90",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAEAEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D5D5D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B5B5BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#95959D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#76767F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5D5D65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#45454A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F2F32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}