What color is #9BBCBA?

#9BBCBA is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(155, 188, 186), and in HSL hsl(176, 20%, 67%).

Is #9BBCBA accessible as text?

On white, #9BBCBA has a contrast ratio of 2.04:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.30:1 (passes). For text placed on #9BBCBA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9BBCBA?

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

What colors go well with #9BBCBA?

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

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

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

Palettes built on #9BBCBA

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9BBCBA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9BBCBA Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9BBCBA Accent #A7C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

Ash 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 #F6F4EF Accent #9BBCBA Secondary #D9E4E3 Support #979286 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9BBCBA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #C4E2E0

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9BBCBA 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 42/100

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 9/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

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 #9BBCBA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9BBCBA with

Soft Sage Cadet Grey Rosy Brown 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 9.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF1F0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9AB3BC — 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 #9BBCBA 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: #9BBCBA;
  --color-base-rgb: 155 188 186;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.0% 0.036 191.9);
  --color-50: #F6F9F9;
  --color-100: #E6EFEE;
  --color-200: #CEDEDD;
  --color-300: #ABC5C3;
  --color-400: #88AAA7;
  --color-500: #698C8A;
  --color-600: #546D6C;
  --color-700: #3F4F4E;
  --color-800: #2C3535;
  --color-900: #1C2121;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F6F9F9',
    100: '#E6EFEE',
    200: '#CEDEDD',
    300: '#ABC5C3',
    400: '#88AAA7',
    500: '#698C8A',
    600: '#546D6C',
    700: '#3F4F4E',
    800: '#2C3535',
    900: '#1C2121',
  },
}

$base: #9BBCBA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F9F9;
$base-100: #E6EFEE;
$base-200: #CEDEDD;
$base-300: #ABC5C3;
$base-400: #88AAA7;
$base-500: #698C8A;
$base-600: #546D6C;
$base-700: #3F4F4E;
$base-800: #2C3535;
$base-900: #1C2121;
$base-hover: #71A09D;
$base-subtle: #E2EAE9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9BBCBA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EFEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDEDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABC5C3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#88AAA7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#698C8A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#546D6C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4F4E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C3535",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2121",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}