What color is #97A6BE?

#97A6BE is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(151, 166, 190), and in HSL hsl(217, 23%, 67%).

Is #97A6BE accessible as text?

On white, #97A6BE has a contrast ratio of 2.47:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.51:1 (passes). For text placed on #97A6BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #97A6BE?

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

What colors go well with #97A6BE?

#97A6BE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BEAF97. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #97A6BE below.

Is #97A6BE good for buttons?

#97A6BE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #97A6BE — white text only reaches 2.47:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #97A6BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #97A6BE 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.

#97A6BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #97A6BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #97A6BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #97A6BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #97A6BE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #97A6BE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #97A6BE Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 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 #97A6BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #BECCE2

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 #F6F4EF Accent #97A6BE Secondary #CCD2DB Support #9D8F88 Ink #16140F

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 #97A6BE 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 69/100

High

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

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 15/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 35/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #97A6BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #97A6BE with

Lavender Gray 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 7.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBEEF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9799BE — 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 #97A6BE 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: #97A6BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 151 166 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.1% 0.039 259.8);
  --color-50: #F5F7F9;
  --color-100: #E6E9F0;
  --color-200: #CDD4E0;
  --color-300: #A9B4C6;
  --color-400: #8695AC;
  --color-500: #66768F;
  --color-600: #535E6F;
  --color-700: #3E4551;
  --color-800: #2B2F36;
  --color-900: #1B1E22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F7F9',
    100: '#E6E9F0',
    200: '#CDD4E0',
    300: '#A9B4C6',
    400: '#8695AC',
    500: '#66768F',
    600: '#535E6F',
    700: '#3E4551',
    800: '#2B2F36',
    900: '#1B1E22',
  },
}

$base: #97A6BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F7F9;
$base-100: #E6E9F0;
$base-200: #CDD4E0;
$base-300: #A9B4C6;
$base-400: #8695AC;
$base-500: #66768F;
$base-600: #535E6F;
$base-700: #3E4551;
$base-800: #2B2F36;
$base-900: #1B1E22;
$base-hover: #6D82A4;
$base-subtle: #E1E5EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#97A6BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E9F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CDD4E0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A9B4C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8695AC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#66768F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#535E6F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E4551",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2F36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1E22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}