What color is #8BB5CA?

#8BB5CA is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(139, 181, 202), and in HSL hsl(200, 37%, 67%).

Is #8BB5CA accessible as text?

On white, #8BB5CA has a contrast ratio of 2.20:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.56:1 (passes). For text placed on #8BB5CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8BB5CA?

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

What colors go well with #8BB5CA?

#8BB5CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CAA08C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #8BB5CA below.

Is #8BB5CA good for buttons?

#8BB5CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #8BB5CA — white text only reaches 2.20:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #8BB5CA the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #8BB5CA 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.

#8BB5CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8BB5CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #8BB5CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #8BB5CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8BB5CA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 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 #8BB5CA Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #8BB5CA 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 #8BB5CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #B4DBEF

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 #8BB5CA Secondary #CFDDE5 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.

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Color Lab

How #8BB5CA 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 34/100

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 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 32/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 60/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 86/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8BB5CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8BB5CA with

Light Blue Cool Gray Khaki Platinum 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 8.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAF0F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8CA0CA — 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 #8BB5CA 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: #8BB5CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 139 181 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.0% 0.054 230.0);
  --color-50: #F4F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3EDF3;
  --color-200: #C7DBE5;
  --color-300: #A0C0CF;
  --color-400: #7AA3B8;
  --color-500: #5A859B;
  --color-600: #4A6978;
  --color-700: #384C56;
  --color-800: #283339;
  --color-900: #1A2024;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F4F8FA',
    100: '#E3EDF3',
    200: '#C7DBE5',
    300: '#A0C0CF',
    400: '#7AA3B8',
    500: '#5A859B',
    600: '#4A6978',
    700: '#384C56',
    800: '#283339',
    900: '#1A2024',
  },
}

$base: #8BB5CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FA;
$base-100: #E3EDF3;
$base-200: #C7DBE5;
$base-300: #A0C0CF;
$base-400: #7AA3B8;
$base-500: #5A859B;
$base-600: #4A6978;
$base-700: #384C56;
$base-800: #283339;
$base-900: #1A2024;
$base-hover: #5D97B4;
$base-subtle: #DFE8ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8BB5CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EDF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C7DBE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0C0CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7AA3B8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5A859B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A6978",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#384C56",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283339",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2024",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}