What color is #9BA09E?

#9BA09E is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(155, 160, 158), and in HSL hsl(156, 3%, 62%).

Is #9BA09E accessible as text?

On white, #9BA09E has a contrast ratio of 2.65:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.92:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BA09E, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BA09E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-400 (#A1A1A1).

What colors go well with #9BA09E?

As a neutral, #9BA09E 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 #9BA09E the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9BA09E is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9BA09E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9BA09E

Not just a swatch — here's how #9BA09E works with other colors. Named schemes with #9BA09E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9BA09E Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B5B19F Ink #2A2723

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 #9BA09E Accent #A7C4BC Surface #E1D9BE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1B3549

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9BA09E Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #C1C6C4

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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BA09E Secondary #ADB4B7 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 Anchor #2D3236

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 #F7F4EF Accent #9BA09E Secondary #C9CBCA Support #989286 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 #9BA09E 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 72/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 12/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 2/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 29/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 70/100

High

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

Print safety 99/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9BA09E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BA09E with

Ash Gray Cadet Grey Platinum Outer Space

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 7.0:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #9BA1A1 — 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 #9BA09E at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #9BA09E;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 160 158;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.1% 0.006 170.4);
  --color-50: #F7F8F7;
  --color-100: #EAEBEB;
  --color-200: #D5D8D7;
  --color-300: #B5BAB8;
  --color-400: #959D9A;
  --color-500: #767F7B;
  --color-600: #5D6562;
  --color-700: #454A48;
  --color-800: #2F3231;
  --color-900: #1D201F;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F8F7',
    100: '#EAEBEB',
    200: '#D5D8D7',
    300: '#B5BAB8',
    400: '#959D9A',
    500: '#767F7B',
    600: '#5D6562',
    700: '#454A48',
    800: '#2F3231',
    900: '#1D201F',
  },
}

$base: #9BA09E;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F7;
$base-100: #EAEBEB;
$base-200: #D5D8D7;
$base-300: #B5BAB8;
$base-400: #959D9A;
$base-500: #767F7B;
$base-600: #5D6562;
$base-700: #454A48;
$base-800: #2F3231;
$base-900: #1D201F;
$base-hover: #7B827F;
$base-subtle: #E1E3E2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BA09E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAEBEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D5D8D7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B5BAB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#959D9A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#767F7B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5D6562",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#454A48",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F3231",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D201F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}