What color is #97BDBF?

#97BDBF is a light, muted cyan. In RGB it is rgb(151, 189, 191), and in HSL hsl(183, 24%, 67%).

Is #97BDBF accessible as text?

On white, #97BDBF has a contrast ratio of 2.03:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.35:1 (passes). For text placed on #97BDBF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #97BDBF?

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

What colors go well with #97BDBF?

#97BDBF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BF9997. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #97BDBF below.

Is #97BDBF good for buttons?

#97BDBF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #97BDBF — white text only reaches 2.03:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #97BDBF the same as CSS silver?

No — #97BDBF is not the CSS named color silver, but silver (#C0C0C0) 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.

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

Palettes built on #97BDBF

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #97BDBF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Ash 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 #97BDBF Accent #A6C4BD Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Ash 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 #97BDBF Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Ash 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 #97BDBF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #C0E3E5

Ash 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 Ash Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #97BDBF Secondary #D7E5E5 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Ash 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #97BDBF 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 39/100

Neutral

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

Softness 73/100

High

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

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 5/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

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 24/100

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 89/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #97BDBF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #97BDBF 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 9.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBF1F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #97B0BF — 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 #97BDBF 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: #97BDBF;
  --color-base-rgb: 151 189 191;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.1% 0.041 200.3);
  --color-50: #F5F9F9;
  --color-100: #E5EFF0;
  --color-200: #CCDFE0;
  --color-300: #A8C6C7;
  --color-400: #85ABAD;
  --color-500: #658D90;
  --color-600: #526E70;
  --color-700: #3E5051;
  --color-800: #2B3636;
  --color-900: #1B2222;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F5F9F9',
    100: '#E5EFF0',
    200: '#CCDFE0',
    300: '#A8C6C7',
    400: '#85ABAD',
    500: '#658D90',
    600: '#526E70',
    700: '#3E5051',
    800: '#2B3636',
    900: '#1B2222',
  },
}

$base: #97BDBF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F9F9;
$base-100: #E5EFF0;
$base-200: #CCDFE0;
$base-300: #A8C6C7;
$base-400: #85ABAD;
$base-500: #658D90;
$base-600: #526E70;
$base-700: #3E5051;
$base-800: #2B3636;
$base-900: #1B2222;
$base-hover: #6CA2A5;
$base-subtle: #E1EAEA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#97BDBF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5EFF0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCDFE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A8C6C7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#85ABAD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#658D90",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#526E70",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E5051",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3636",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2222",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}