What color is #90AECB?

#90AECB is a light, soft blue. In RGB it is rgb(144, 174, 203), and in HSL hsl(209, 36%, 68%).

Is #90AECB accessible as text?

On white, #90AECB has a contrast ratio of 2.31:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.10:1 (passes). For text placed on #90AECB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #90AECB?

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

What colors go well with #90AECB?

#90AECB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CBAC90. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #90AECB below.

Is #90AECB good for buttons?

#90AECB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #90AECB — white text only reaches 2.31:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #90AECB the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #90AECB 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.

#90AECB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #90AECB

Not just a swatch — here's how #90AECB works with other colors. Named schemes with #90AECB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #90AECB 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 #90AECB Accent #A5C4C0 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 #90AECB 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 #90AECB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #B8D4EF

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 #90AECB Secondary #CED8E3 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 #90AECB 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 68/100

High

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

Depth 25/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 32/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 35/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 59/100

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 #90AECB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #90AECB 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 8.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAEFF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #909BCB — 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 #90AECB 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: #90AECB;
  --color-base-rgb: 144 174 203;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.8% 0.054 247.7);
  --color-50: #F4F7FA;
  --color-100: #E3EBF2;
  --color-200: #C8D7E5;
  --color-300: #A0B8CF;
  --color-400: #7B9AB7;
  --color-500: #5B7B9A;
  --color-600: #4A6277;
  --color-700: #394856;
  --color-800: #283139;
  --color-900: #1A1F23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F4F7FA',
    100: '#E3EBF2',
    200: '#C8D7E5',
    300: '#A0B8CF',
    400: '#7B9AB7',
    500: '#5B7B9A',
    600: '#4A6277',
    700: '#394856',
    800: '#283139',
    900: '#1A1F23',
  },
}

$base: #90AECB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F7FA;
$base-100: #E3EBF2;
$base-200: #C8D7E5;
$base-300: #A0B8CF;
$base-400: #7B9AB7;
$base-500: #5B7B9A;
$base-600: #4A6277;
$base-700: #394856;
$base-800: #283139;
$base-900: #1A1F23;
$base-hover: #618CB5;
$base-subtle: #E0E7ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#90AECB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EBF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D7E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0B8CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7B9AB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5B7B9A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A6277",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394856",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283139",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1F23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}