What color is #96B5CD?

#96B5CD is a light, soft cyan-blue. In RGB it is rgb(150, 181, 205), and in HSL hsl(206, 35%, 70%).

Is #96B5CD accessible as text?

On white, #96B5CD has a contrast ratio of 2.15:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.79:1 (passes). For text placed on #96B5CD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #96B5CD?

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

What colors go well with #96B5CD?

#96B5CD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CDAF98. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #96B5CD below.

Is #96B5CD good for buttons?

#96B5CD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #96B5CD — white text only reaches 2.15:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #96B5CD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #96B5CD 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.

#96B5CD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #96B5CD

Not just a swatch — here's how #96B5CD works with other colors. Named schemes with #96B5CD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #96B5CD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 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 #96B5CD Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

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 #96B5CD Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2823

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 #96B5CD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #BFDBF2

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 #96B5CD Secondary #D4DFE8 Support #969386 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 #96B5CD 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 70/100

High

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

Depth 23/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

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 29/100

Low

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

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #96B5CD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #96B5CD with

Powder 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 8.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF0F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #98A4CD — 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 #96B5CD 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: #96B5CD;
  --color-base-rgb: 150 181 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.8% 0.048 241.6);
  --color-50: #F4F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3ECF2;
  --color-200: #C8D8E4;
  --color-300: #A1BBCE;
  --color-400: #7C9DB6;
  --color-500: #5C7F99;
  --color-600: #4B6477;
  --color-700: #394956;
  --color-800: #283239;
  --color-900: #1A1F23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F4F8FA',
    100: '#E3ECF2',
    200: '#C8D8E4',
    300: '#A1BBCE',
    400: '#7C9DB6',
    500: '#5C7F99',
    600: '#4B6477',
    700: '#394956',
    800: '#283239',
    900: '#1A1F23',
  },
}

$base: #96B5CD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F8FA;
$base-100: #E3ECF2;
$base-200: #C8D8E4;
$base-300: #A1BBCE;
$base-400: #7C9DB6;
$base-500: #5C7F99;
$base-600: #4B6477;
$base-700: #394956;
$base-800: #283239;
$base-900: #1A1F23;
$base-hover: #6894B6;
$base-subtle: #E2E9EE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#96B5CD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3ECF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D8E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A1BBCE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7C9DB6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5C7F99",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4B6477",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394956",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283239",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1F23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}