What color is #90BEC5?

#90BEC5 is a light, muted cyan. In RGB it is rgb(144, 190, 197), and in HSL hsl(188, 31%, 67%).

Is #90BEC5 accessible as text?

On white, #90BEC5 has a contrast ratio of 2.03:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.36:1 (passes). For text placed on #90BEC5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #90BEC5?

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

What colors go well with #90BEC5?

#90BEC5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C59891. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #90BEC5 below.

Is #90BEC5 good for buttons?

#90BEC5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #90BEC5 — white text only reaches 2.03:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #90BEC5 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #90BEC5 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#90BEC5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #90BEC5

Not just a swatch — here's how #90BEC5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #90BEC5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #90BEC5 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Ash Gray 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 #90BEC5 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Ash Gray 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 #90BEC5 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Ash Gray 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 #90BEC5 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #BAE4EA

Ash Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Ash Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #90BEC5 Secondary #D5E5E8 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Ash Gray 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #90BEC5 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 36/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 71/100

High

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

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #90BEC5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #90BEC5 with

Soft Sage Cadet Grey 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 9.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EAF1F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #91ADC5 — 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 #90BEC5 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: #90BEC5;
  --color-base-rgb: 144 190 197;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.1% 0.050 207.8);
  --color-50: #F5F9FA;
  --color-100: #E4F0F1;
  --color-200: #CADFE3;
  --color-300: #A4C6CC;
  --color-400: #7FACB3;
  --color-500: #5F8E96;
  --color-600: #4E6F74;
  --color-700: #3B5154;
  --color-800: #293638;
  --color-900: #1A2223;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F5F9FA',
    100: '#E4F0F1',
    200: '#CADFE3',
    300: '#A4C6CC',
    400: '#7FACB3',
    500: '#5F8E96',
    600: '#4E6F74',
    700: '#3B5154',
    800: '#293638',
    900: '#1A2223',
  },
}

$base: #90BEC5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F9FA;
$base-100: #E4F0F1;
$base-200: #CADFE3;
$base-300: #A4C6CC;
$base-400: #7FACB3;
$base-500: #5F8E96;
$base-600: #4E6F74;
$base-700: #3B5154;
$base-800: #293638;
$base-900: #1A2223;
$base-hover: #64A4AD;
$base-subtle: #E0EAEC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#90BEC5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4F0F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CADFE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A4C6CC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7FACB3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5F8E96",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4E6F74",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3B5154",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293638",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2223",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}