What color is #9B9BAD?

#9B9BAD is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(155, 155, 173), and in HSL hsl(240, 10%, 64%).

Is #9B9BAD accessible as text?

On white, #9B9BAD has a contrast ratio of 2.73:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.69:1 (passes). For text placed on #9B9BAD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9B9BAD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-400 (#9F9FA9).

What colors go well with #9B9BAD?

As a neutral, #9B9BAD pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #9B9BAD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9B9BAD is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9B9BAD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9B9BAD

Not just a swatch — here's how #9B9BAD works with other colors. Named schemes with #9B9BAD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9B9BAD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9B9BAD Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9B9BAD Secondary #AFB4B8 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #9B9BAD Secondary #C8C8CF Support #9D9088 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9B9BAD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C1C1D2

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9B9BAD 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 68/100

High

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

Depth 29/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 37/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9B9BAD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9B9BAD with

Ash Gray Cadet Grey Dark Gray Gainsboro Charcoal

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 6.8:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #A09AAC — 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 #9B9BAD at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #9B9BAD;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 155 173;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(69.5% 0.026 285.7);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #E8E8ED;
  --color-200: #D2D2DA;
  --color-300: #B1B1BE;
  --color-400: #9191A1;
  --color-500: #727283;
  --color-600: #5B5B67;
  --color-700: #43434B;
  --color-800: #2E2E33;
  --color-900: #1D1D20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#E8E8ED',
    200: '#D2D2DA',
    300: '#B1B1BE',
    400: '#9191A1',
    500: '#727283',
    600: '#5B5B67',
    700: '#43434B',
    800: '#2E2E33',
    900: '#1D1D20',
  },
}

$base: #9B9BAD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #E8E8ED;
$base-200: #D2D2DA;
$base-300: #B1B1BE;
$base-400: #9191A1;
$base-500: #727283;
$base-600: #5B5B67;
$base-700: #43434B;
$base-800: #2E2E33;
$base-900: #1D1D20;
$base-hover: #76768F;
$base-subtle: #E1E1E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9B9BAD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E8ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2D2DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1B1BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9191A1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#727283",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B5B67",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#43434B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2E33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}