What color is #986986?

#986986 is a medium, muted pink. In RGB it is rgb(152, 105, 134), and in HSL hsl(323, 19%, 50%).

Is #986986 accessible as text?

On white, #986986 has a contrast ratio of 4.47:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.70:1 (passes). For text placed on #986986, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #986986?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-500 (#79697B).

What colors go well with #986986?

#986986 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #67987A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #986986 below.

Is #986986 good for buttons?

#986986 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #986986 — white text only reaches 4.47:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #986986 the same as CSS gray?

No — #986986 is not the CSS named color gray, but gray (#808080) 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.

#986986 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #986986

Not just a swatch — here's how #986986 works with other colors. Named schemes with #986986 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #986986 Anchor #3B2922 Surface #F2E2D1 Accent #9B9462 Secondary #3C3833

Mauve Taupe anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #986986 Secondary #7D472C Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #454F38 Anchor #5A2232

Mauve Taupe plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #986986 Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E203C Accent #E6C2C4 Secondary #332B2E

Mauve Taupe sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #986986 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BCADA0 Ink #2B2723

Mauve Taupe 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #986986 Secondary #B09EA9 Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

Mauve Taupe 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 Mauve Taupe carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #986986 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 58/100

Neutral

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 8/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 76/100

High

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 79/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 38/100

Low

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 #986986

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #986986 with

Cool Gray Mauve Taupe Russian Green Gainsboro Taupe

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 4.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9E2E6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #986775 — 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 #986986 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: #986986;
  --color-base-rgb: 152 105 134;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(57.9% 0.072 342.0);
  --color-50: #F9F6F8;
  --color-100: #EFE7EC;
  --color-200: #DECED8;
  --color-300: #C4ABBA;
  --color-400: #A9899D;
  --color-500: #8B6A7E;
  --color-600: #6D5564;
  --color-700: #4F4049;
  --color-800: #352C32;
  --color-900: #211C1F;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  mauve-taupe: {
    50: '#F9F6F8',
    100: '#EFE7EC',
    200: '#DECED8',
    300: '#C4ABBA',
    400: '#A9899D',
    500: '#8B6A7E',
    600: '#6D5564',
    700: '#4F4049',
    800: '#352C32',
    900: '#211C1F',
  },
}

$base: #986986;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F9F6F8;
$base-100: #EFE7EC;
$base-200: #DECED8;
$base-300: #C4ABBA;
$base-400: #A9899D;
$base-500: #8B6A7E;
$base-600: #6D5564;
$base-700: #4F4049;
$base-800: #352C32;
$base-900: #211C1F;
$base-hover: #79536B;
$base-subtle: #DED3DA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#986986",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EFE7EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DECED8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C4ABBA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A9899D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#8B6A7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6D5564",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4F4049",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#352C32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C1F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #986986

Color Lab

Pairs with #986986

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export