What color is #949DBE?

#949DBE is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(148, 157, 190), and in HSL hsl(227, 24%, 66%).

Is #949DBE accessible as text?

On white, #949DBE has a contrast ratio of 2.68:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.83:1 (passes). For text placed on #949DBE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #949DBE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-400 (#A89EA9).

What colors go well with #949DBE?

#949DBE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BDB493. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #949DBE below.

Is #949DBE good for buttons?

#949DBE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #949DBE — white text only reaches 2.68:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #949DBE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #949DBE 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.

#949DBE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #949DBE

Not just a swatch — here's how #949DBE works with other colors. Named schemes with #949DBE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #949DBE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 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 #949DBE Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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 #949DBE Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 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 #949DBE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #BAC3E2

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 #F8F4EF Accent #949DBE Secondary #C7CAD6 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

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 #949DBE 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 39/100

Neutral

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

Softness 65/100

High

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

Depth 29/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

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 43/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #949DBE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #949DBE with

Light Steel Blue Cool Gray Khaki Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

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 6.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBECF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9893BD — 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 #949DBE 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: #949DBE;
  --color-base-rgb: 148 157 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.0% 0.049 273.1);
  --color-50: #F5F6F9;
  --color-100: #E5E8F0;
  --color-200: #CCD1E0;
  --color-300: #A8AFC7;
  --color-400: #858EAD;
  --color-500: #656E90;
  --color-600: #525870;
  --color-700: #3E4251;
  --color-800: #2B2D36;
  --color-900: #1B1D22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6F9',
    100: '#E5E8F0',
    200: '#CCD1E0',
    300: '#A8AFC7',
    400: '#858EAD',
    500: '#656E90',
    600: '#525870',
    700: '#3E4251',
    800: '#2B2D36',
    900: '#1B1D22',
  },
}

$base: #949DBE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6F9;
$base-100: #E5E8F0;
$base-200: #CCD1E0;
$base-300: #A8AFC7;
$base-400: #858EAD;
$base-500: #656E90;
$base-600: #525870;
$base-700: #3E4251;
$base-800: #2B2D36;
$base-900: #1B1D22;
$base-hover: #6A76A4;
$base-subtle: #E0E2EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#949DBE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5E8F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCD1E0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A8AFC7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#858EAD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#656E90",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#525870",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E4251",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2D36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1D22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}