What color is #8BA3BD?

#8BA3BD is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(139, 163, 189), and in HSL hsl(211, 27%, 64%).

Is #8BA3BD accessible as text?

On white, #8BA3BD has a contrast ratio of 2.60:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.07:1 (passes). For text placed on #8BA3BD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8BA3BD?

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

What colors go well with #8BA3BD?

#8BA3BD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BCA48A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #8BA3BD below.

Is #8BA3BD good for buttons?

#8BA3BD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #8BA3BD — white text only reaches 2.60:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #8BA3BD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #8BA3BD 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.

#8BA3BD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8BA3BD

Not just a swatch — here's how #8BA3BD works with other colors. Named schemes with #8BA3BD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8BA3BD 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 #8BA3BD Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #8BA3BD Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #8BA3BD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #B2C9E1

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 #8BA3BD Secondary #C5CED7 Support #959386 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 #8BA3BD 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 66/100

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 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 18/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 58/100

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 #8BA3BD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8BA3BD with

Ash Gray Cool Gray Khaki Gainsboro 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 7.1:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #8A92BC — 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 #8BA3BD 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: #8BA3BD;
  --color-base-rgb: 139 163 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.6% 0.047 250.6);
  --color-50: #F5F7FA;
  --color-100: #E5EAF0;
  --color-200: #CBD6E1;
  --color-300: #A6B7C9;
  --color-400: #8398AF;
  --color-500: #637A92;
  --color-600: #506072;
  --color-700: #3D4752;
  --color-800: #2A3037;
  --color-900: #1B1E22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F7FA',
    100: '#E5EAF0',
    200: '#CBD6E1',
    300: '#A6B7C9',
    400: '#8398AF',
    500: '#637A92',
    600: '#506072',
    700: '#3D4752',
    800: '#2A3037',
    900: '#1B1E22',
  },
}

$base: #8BA3BD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F7FA;
$base-100: #E5EAF0;
$base-200: #CBD6E1;
$base-300: #A6B7C9;
$base-400: #8398AF;
$base-500: #637A92;
$base-600: #506072;
$base-700: #3D4752;
$base-800: #2A3037;
$base-900: #1B1E22;
$base-hover: #6181A4;
$base-subtle: #DEE3E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8BA3BD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5EAF0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBD6E1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6B7C9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8398AF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#637A92",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#506072",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D4752",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3037",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1E22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}