What color is #8EA9C9?

#8EA9C9 is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(142, 169, 201), and in HSL hsl(213, 35%, 67%).

Is #8EA9C9 accessible as text?

On white, #8EA9C9 has a contrast ratio of 2.42:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.67:1 (passes). For text placed on #8EA9C9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #8EA9C9?

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

What colors go well with #8EA9C9?

#8EA9C9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C8AE8D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #8EA9C9 below.

Is #8EA9C9 good for buttons?

#8EA9C9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #8EA9C9 — white text only reaches 2.42:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #8EA9C9 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #8EA9C9 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.

#8EA9C9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #8EA9C9

Not just a swatch — here's how #8EA9C9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #8EA9C9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #8EA9C9 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #8EA9C9 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 #8EA9C9 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 #8EA9C9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #B6CFED

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 #8EA9C9 Secondary #CAD4E0 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 #8EA9C9 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 35/100

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 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #8EA9C9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #8EA9C9 with

Light Blue 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 7.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAEEF2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #8D94C8 — 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 #8EA9C9 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: #8EA9C9;
  --color-base-rgb: 142 169 201;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.6% 0.056 252.9);
  --color-50: #F4F7FA;
  --color-100: #E3EAF2;
  --color-200: #C8D5E4;
  --color-300: #A1B5CE;
  --color-400: #7C96B6;
  --color-500: #5C7799;
  --color-600: #4B5F77;
  --color-700: #394656;
  --color-800: #283039;
  --color-900: #1A1E23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F4F7FA',
    100: '#E3EAF2',
    200: '#C8D5E4',
    300: '#A1B5CE',
    400: '#7C96B6',
    500: '#5C7799',
    600: '#4B5F77',
    700: '#394656',
    800: '#283039',
    900: '#1A1E23',
  },
}

$base: #8EA9C9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F7FA;
$base-100: #E3EAF2;
$base-200: #C8D5E4;
$base-300: #A1B5CE;
$base-400: #7C96B6;
$base-500: #5C7799;
$base-600: #4B5F77;
$base-700: #394656;
$base-800: #283039;
$base-900: #1A1E23;
$base-hover: #5F85B2;
$base-subtle: #DFE5EC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#8EA9C9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EAF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D5E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A1B5CE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7C96B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5C7799",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4B5F77",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394656",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283039",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1E23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}