What color is #8BB1BE?

#8BB1BE is a light, muted cyan. In RGB it is rgb(139, 177, 190), and in HSL hsl(195, 28%, 65%).

Is #8BB1BE accessible as text?

On white, #8BB1BE has a contrast ratio of 2.30:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.13:1 (passes). For text placed on #8BB1BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8BB1BE?

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

What colors go well with #8BB1BE?

#8BB1BE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BF998D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #8BB1BE below.

Is #8BB1BE good for buttons?

#8BB1BE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #8BB1BE — white text only reaches 2.30:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #8BB1BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #8BB1BE 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.

#8BB1BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8BB1BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #8BB1BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #8BB1BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8BB1BE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 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 #8BB1BE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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 #8BB1BE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

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 #8BB1BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #B4D7E3

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 #8BB1BE Secondary #CCD9DE Support #969386 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 #8BB1BE 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 69/100

High

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

Depth 25/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 32/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 33/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 61/100

High

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

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8BB1BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8BB1BE with

Soft Sage Cool Gray 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 8.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAEFF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8DA2BF — 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 #8BB1BE 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: #8BB1BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 139 177 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.7% 0.045 220.8);
  --color-50: #F5F9FA;
  --color-100: #E5EEF1;
  --color-200: #CBDCE2;
  --color-300: #A6C1CA;
  --color-400: #82A5B0;
  --color-500: #628793;
  --color-600: #4F6A72;
  --color-700: #3C4D53;
  --color-800: #2A3437;
  --color-900: #1B2022;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F9FA',
    100: '#E5EEF1',
    200: '#CBDCE2',
    300: '#A6C1CA',
    400: '#82A5B0',
    500: '#628793',
    600: '#4F6A72',
    700: '#3C4D53',
    800: '#2A3437',
    900: '#1B2022',
  },
}

$base: #8BB1BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F9FA;
$base-100: #E5EEF1;
$base-200: #CBDCE2;
$base-300: #A6C1CA;
$base-400: #82A5B0;
$base-500: #628793;
$base-600: #4F6A72;
$base-700: #3C4D53;
$base-800: #2A3437;
$base-900: #1B2022;
$base-hover: #6296A7;
$base-subtle: #DFE7EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8BB1BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5EEF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBDCE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6C1CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#82A5B0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#628793",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F6A72",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C4D53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3437",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2022",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}