What color is #97A1BF?

#97A1BF is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(151, 161, 191), and in HSL hsl(225, 24%, 67%).

Is #97A1BF accessible as text?

On white, #97A1BF has a contrast ratio of 2.57:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.17:1 (passes). For text placed on #97A1BF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #97A1BF?

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

What colors go well with #97A1BF?

#97A1BF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BFB597. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #97A1BF below.

Is #97A1BF good for buttons?

#97A1BF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #97A1BF — white text only reaches 2.57:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #97A1BF the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #97A1BF 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.

#97A1BF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #97A1BF

Not just a swatch — here's how #97A1BF works with other colors. Named schemes with #97A1BF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #97A1BF 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 #97A1BF 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 #97A1BF 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 #97A1BF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #BDC7E3

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 #97A1BF Secondary #CACED9 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 #97A1BF 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 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 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

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 59/100

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 #97A1BF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #97A1BF with

Light Steel 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 7.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBEDF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9A97BF — 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 #97A1BF 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: #97A1BF;
  --color-base-rgb: 151 161 191;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.1% 0.045 270.7);
  --color-50: #F5F6F9;
  --color-100: #E5E8F0;
  --color-200: #CCD1E0;
  --color-300: #A8B0C7;
  --color-400: #858FAD;
  --color-500: #657090;
  --color-600: #525970;
  --color-700: #3E4351;
  --color-800: #2B2E36;
  --color-900: #1B1D22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6F9',
    100: '#E5E8F0',
    200: '#CCD1E0',
    300: '#A8B0C7',
    400: '#858FAD',
    500: '#657090',
    600: '#525970',
    700: '#3E4351',
    800: '#2B2E36',
    900: '#1B1D22',
  },
}

$base: #97A1BF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6F9;
$base-100: #E5E8F0;
$base-200: #CCD1E0;
$base-300: #A8B0C7;
$base-400: #858FAD;
$base-500: #657090;
$base-600: #525970;
$base-700: #3E4351;
$base-800: #2B2E36;
$base-900: #1B1D22;
$base-hover: #6C7AA5;
$base-subtle: #E1E3EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#97A1BF",
            "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": "#A8B0C7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#858FAD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#657090",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#525970",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E4351",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2E36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1D22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}