What color is #97A0BB?

#97A0BB is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(151, 160, 187), and in HSL hsl(225, 21%, 66%).

Is #97A0BB accessible as text?

On white, #97A0BB has a contrast ratio of 2.60:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.06:1 (passes). For text placed on #97A0BB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #97A0BB?

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

What colors go well with #97A0BB?

#97A0BB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BBB196. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #97A0BB below.

Is #97A0BB good for buttons?

#97A0BB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #97A0BB — white text only reaches 2.60:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #97A0BB the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #97A0BB 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.

#97A0BB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #97A0BB

Not just a swatch — here's how #97A0BB works with other colors. Named schemes with #97A0BB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #97A0BB 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 #97A0BB 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 #97A0BB 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 #97A0BB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #BDC6DF

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 #97A0BB Secondary #C9CDD7 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 #97A0BB 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 41/100

Neutral

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

Softness 67/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 39/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 60/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #97A0BB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #97A0BB with

Silver 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 7.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBECF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9996BB — 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 #97A0BB at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #97A0BB;
  --color-base-rgb: 151 160 187;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.8% 0.041 270.8);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E6E8EF;
  --color-200: #CED2DF;
  --color-300: #AAB1C5;
  --color-400: #8890AA;
  --color-500: #68718D;
  --color-600: #545A6E;
  --color-700: #3F4350;
  --color-800: #2B2E35;
  --color-900: #1C1D21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E6E8EF',
    200: '#CED2DF',
    300: '#AAB1C5',
    400: '#8890AA',
    500: '#68718D',
    600: '#545A6E',
    700: '#3F4350',
    800: '#2B2E35',
    900: '#1C1D21',
  },
}

$base: #97A0BB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E6E8EF;
$base-200: #CED2DF;
$base-300: #AAB1C5;
$base-400: #8890AA;
$base-500: #68718D;
$base-600: #545A6E;
$base-700: #3F4350;
$base-800: #2B2E35;
$base-900: #1C1D21;
$base-hover: #6D7AA0;
$base-subtle: #E1E3E9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#97A0BB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E8EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED2DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAB1C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8890AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68718D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#545A6E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4350",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2E35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1D21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}