What color is #9BB3BE?

#9BB3BE is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(155, 179, 190), and in HSL hsl(199, 21%, 68%).

Is #9BB3BE accessible as text?

On white, #9BB3BE has a contrast ratio of 2.19:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.59:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BB3BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BB3BE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-400 (#99A1AF).

What colors go well with #9BB3BE?

As a neutral, #9BB3BE 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 #9BB3BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9BB3BE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9BB3BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9BB3BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #9BB3BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #9BB3BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BB3BE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Dark 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 #9BB3BE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1F344A

Dark 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 #9BB3BE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Dark 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 #9BB3BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C3D9E3

Dark 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 Dark Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9BB3BE Secondary #D4DDE1 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Dark 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 Dark Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9BB3BE 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 73/100

High

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

Depth 23/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 12/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 67/100

High

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

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9BB3BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BB3BE with

Soft Sage Cadet Grey Khaki Platinum Charcoal

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 8.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF0F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9CA8BF — 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 #9BB3BE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

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: #9BB3BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 179 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(75.2% 0.031 227.2);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E6ECEF;
  --color-200: #CED9DF;
  --color-300: #AABDC5;
  --color-400: #889FAA;
  --color-500: #68818D;
  --color-600: #54666E;
  --color-700: #3F4B50;
  --color-800: #2B3235;
  --color-900: #1C2021;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E6ECEF',
    200: '#CED9DF',
    300: '#AABDC5',
    400: '#889FAA',
    500: '#68818D',
    600: '#54666E',
    700: '#3F4B50',
    800: '#2B3235',
    900: '#1C2021',
  },
}

$base: #9BB3BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E6ECEF;
$base-200: #CED9DF;
$base-300: #AABDC5;
$base-400: #889FAA;
$base-500: #68818D;
$base-600: #54666E;
$base-700: #3F4B50;
$base-800: #2B3235;
$base-900: #1C2021;
$base-hover: #7294A3;
$base-subtle: #E3E8EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BB3BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6ECEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED9DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AABDC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#889FAA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68818D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#54666E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4B50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3235",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2021",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}