What color is #96B4BB?

#96B4BB is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(150, 180, 187), and in HSL hsl(191, 21%, 66%).

Is #96B4BB accessible as text?

On white, #96B4BB has a contrast ratio of 2.20:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.54:1 (passes). For text placed on #96B4BB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #96B4BB?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-400 (#99A1AF).

What colors go well with #96B4BB?

As a neutral, #96B4BB pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #96B4BB the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #96B4BB is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#96B4BB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #96B4BB

Not just a swatch — here's how #96B4BB works with other colors. Named schemes with #96B4BB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #96B4BB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Dark 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 #96B4BB Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Dark 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 #96B4BB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Dark 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 #96B4BB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #BEDAE0

Dark 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 Dark Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #96B4BB Secondary #D2DDDF Support #969286 Ink #16140F

Dark 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 Dark Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #96B4BB 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 72/100

High

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

Depth 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 27/100

Low

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

Surface fit 66/100

High

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

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #96B4BB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #96B4BB 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 8.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBEFF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #96A8BB — 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 #96B4BB at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #96B4BB;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 180 187;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.0% 0.034 213.4);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E6EDEF;
  --color-200: #CEDCDF;
  --color-300: #AAC0C5;
  --color-400: #88A4AA;
  --color-500: #68868D;
  --color-600: #54696E;
  --color-700: #3F4D50;
  --color-800: #2B3435;
  --color-900: #1C2021;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E6EDEF',
    200: '#CEDCDF',
    300: '#AAC0C5',
    400: '#88A4AA',
    500: '#68868D',
    600: '#54696E',
    700: '#3F4D50',
    800: '#2B3435',
    900: '#1C2021',
  },
}

$base: #96B4BB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E6EDEF;
$base-200: #CEDCDF;
$base-300: #AAC0C5;
$base-400: #88A4AA;
$base-500: #68868D;
$base-600: #54696E;
$base-700: #3F4D50;
$base-800: #2B3435;
$base-900: #1C2021;
$base-hover: #6D97A0;
$base-subtle: #E1E8E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#96B4BB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EDEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDCDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAC0C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#88A4AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68868D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#54696E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4D50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3435",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2021",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}