What color is #9897BD?

#9897BD is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(152, 151, 189), and in HSL hsl(242, 22%, 67%).

Is #9897BD accessible as text?

On white, #9897BD has a contrast ratio of 2.80:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.50:1 (passes). For text placed on #9897BD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9897BD?

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

What colors go well with #9897BD?

#9897BD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BCBD98. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9897BD below.

Is #9897BD good for buttons?

#9897BD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9897BD — white text only reaches 2.80:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9897BD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9897BD 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.

#9897BD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9897BD

Not just a swatch — here's how #9897BD works with other colors. Named schemes with #9897BD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9897BD Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Cool Gray keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9897BD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 Ink #2C2724

Cool 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9897BD Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

Cool Gray opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #9897BD Secondary #C6C6D4 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Cool 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 Cool Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9897BD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #BEBDE1

Cool 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 Cool Gray.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9897BD 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 64/100

High

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

Depth 30/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 36/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 48/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 54/100

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 #9897BD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9897BD with

Light Steel Blue Lilac Laurel Green Gainsboro Gunmetal Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

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 6.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECECF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A698BD — 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 #9897BD 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: #9897BD;
  --color-base-rgb: 152 151 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(69.1% 0.055 286.1);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E6E6EF;
  --color-200: #CECDDF;
  --color-300: #AAA9C6;
  --color-400: #8887AB;
  --color-500: #68678E;
  --color-600: #54536F;
  --color-700: #3F3F50;
  --color-800: #2C2B36;
  --color-900: #1C1C22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cool-gray: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E6E6EF',
    200: '#CECDDF',
    300: '#AAA9C6',
    400: '#8887AB',
    500: '#68678E',
    600: '#54536F',
    700: '#3F3F50',
    800: '#2C2B36',
    900: '#1C1C22',
  },
}

$base: #9897BD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E6E6EF;
$base-200: #CECDDF;
$base-300: #AAA9C6;
$base-400: #8887AB;
$base-500: #68678E;
$base-600: #54536F;
$base-700: #3F3F50;
$base-800: #2C2B36;
$base-900: #1C1C22;
$base-hover: #706FA3;
$base-subtle: #E2E2EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9897BD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CECDDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAA9C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8887AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68678E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#54536F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F3F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2B36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1C22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9897BD

Color Lab

Pairs with #9897BD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export