What color is #8CA4A8?

#8CA4A8 is a medium low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(140, 164, 168), and in HSL hsl(189, 14%, 60%).

Is #8CA4A8 accessible as text?

On white, #8CA4A8 has a contrast ratio of 2.63:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.99:1 (passes). For text placed on #8CA4A8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8CA4A8?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-400 (#99A1AF).

What colors go well with #8CA4A8?

As a neutral, #8CA4A8 pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, 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 #8CA4A8 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #8CA4A8 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#8CA4A8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8CA4A8

Not just a swatch — here's how #8CA4A8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #8CA4A8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8CA4A8 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 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 #8CA4A8 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

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 #8CA4A8 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F 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 #8CA4A8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #B3C9CD

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 #8CA4A8 Secondary #C4CDCE Support #979286 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 #8CA4A8 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 42/100

Neutral

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

Softness 69/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 11/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 36/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8CA4A8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8CA4A8 with

Laurel Green Cool Gray Rosy Brown Platinum Outer Space

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 #E9ECED for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8B99A7 — 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 #8CA4A8 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: #8CA4A8;
  --color-base-rgb: 140 164 168;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.2% 0.027 208.7);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E8EDEE;
  --color-200: #D1DADC;
  --color-300: #AFBEC1;
  --color-400: #8DA1A5;
  --color-500: #6E8387;
  --color-600: #58676A;
  --color-700: #424B4D;
  --color-800: #2D3334;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E8EDEE',
    200: '#D1DADC',
    300: '#AFBEC1',
    400: '#8DA1A5',
    500: '#6E8387',
    600: '#58676A',
    700: '#424B4D',
    800: '#2D3334',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #8CA4A8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E8EDEE;
$base-200: #D1DADC;
$base-300: #AFBEC1;
$base-400: #8DA1A5;
$base-500: #6E8387;
$base-600: #58676A;
$base-700: #424B4D;
$base-800: #2D3334;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #69868C;
$base-subtle: #DDE3E4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8CA4A8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8EDEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D1DADC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AFBEC1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8DA1A5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6E8387",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#58676A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#424B4D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D3334",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}