What color is #9BB8BF?

#9BB8BF is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(155, 184, 191), and in HSL hsl(192, 22%, 68%).

Is #9BB8BF accessible as text?

On white, #9BB8BF has a contrast ratio of 2.10:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.00:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BB8BF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BB8BF?

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

What colors go well with #9BB8BF?

As a neutral, #9BB8BF 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 #9BB8BF the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9BB8BF is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9BB8BF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9BB8BF

Not just a swatch — here's how #9BB8BF works with other colors. Named schemes with #9BB8BF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BB8BF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Ash 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 #9BB8BF Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Ash 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 #9BB8BF Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Ash 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 #9BB8BF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C3DEE5

Ash 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 Ash Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9BB8BF Secondary #D7E1E4 Support #969286 Ink #16140F

Ash 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9BB8BF 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 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 29/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 24/100

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 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9BB8BF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BB8BF with

Soft Sage Cadet Grey Dark Gray Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 8.8:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #9BACBF — 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 #9BB8BF 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: #9BB8BF;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 184 191;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(76.3% 0.033 214.0);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E6EDEF;
  --color-200: #CDDCDF;
  --color-300: #A9C0C6;
  --color-400: #87A4AB;
  --color-500: #67868E;
  --color-600: #53696F;
  --color-700: #3F4D50;
  --color-800: #2B3436;
  --color-900: #1C2022;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E6EDEF',
    200: '#CDDCDF',
    300: '#A9C0C6',
    400: '#87A4AB',
    500: '#67868E',
    600: '#53696F',
    700: '#3F4D50',
    800: '#2B3436',
    900: '#1C2022',
  },
}

$base: #9BB8BF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E6EDEF;
$base-200: #CDDCDF;
$base-300: #A9C0C6;
$base-400: #87A4AB;
$base-500: #67868E;
$base-600: #53696F;
$base-700: #3F4D50;
$base-800: #2B3436;
$base-900: #1C2022;
$base-hover: #719AA4;
$base-subtle: #E2E9EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BB8BF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EDEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CDDCDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A9C0C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#87A4AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#67868E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#53696F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4D50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3436",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2022",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}