What color is #969BBD?

#969BBD is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(150, 155, 189), and in HSL hsl(232, 23%, 66%).

Is #969BBD accessible as text?

On white, #969BBD has a contrast ratio of 2.72:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.72:1 (passes). For text placed on #969BBD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #969BBD?

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

What colors go well with #969BBD?

#969BBD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BCB794. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #969BBD below.

Is #969BBD good for buttons?

#969BBD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #969BBD — white text only reaches 2.72:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #969BBD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #969BBD 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.

#969BBD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #969BBD

Not just a swatch — here's how #969BBD works with other colors. Named schemes with #969BBD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #969BBD 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #969BBD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #969BBD Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22344A

Cadet Grey opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #969BBD Secondary #C7C9D5 Support #9D9088 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #969BBD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #BCC1E1

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #969BBD 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 40/100

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 41/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 36/100

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 44/100

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 #969BBD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #969BBD with

Light Steel Blue Cool Gray Khaki Gainsboro Onyx

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 6.8:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #9C94BC — 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 #969BBD 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: #969BBD;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 155 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(69.7% 0.050 278.5);
  --color-50: #F5F6F9;
  --color-100: #E6E7F0;
  --color-200: #CDCFE0;
  --color-300: #A9ADC6;
  --color-400: #868BAC;
  --color-500: #666C8F;
  --color-600: #53566F;
  --color-700: #3E4151;
  --color-800: #2B2C36;
  --color-900: #1B1C22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6F9',
    100: '#E6E7F0',
    200: '#CDCFE0',
    300: '#A9ADC6',
    400: '#868BAC',
    500: '#666C8F',
    600: '#53566F',
    700: '#3E4151',
    800: '#2B2C36',
    900: '#1B1C22',
  },
}

$base: #969BBD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6F9;
$base-100: #E6E7F0;
$base-200: #CDCFE0;
$base-300: #A9ADC6;
$base-400: #868BAC;
$base-500: #666C8F;
$base-600: #53566F;
$base-700: #3E4151;
$base-800: #2B2C36;
$base-900: #1B1C22;
$base-hover: #6B72A2;
$base-subtle: #E0E2EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#969BBD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E7F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CDCFE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A9ADC6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#868BAC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#666C8F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#53566F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E4151",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2C36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1C22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #969BBD

Color Lab

Pairs with #969BBD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export