What color is #9CA08E?

#9CA08E is a medium low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(156, 160, 142), and in HSL hsl(73, 9%, 59%).

Is #9CA08E accessible as text?

On white, #9CA08E has a contrast ratio of 2.68:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.83:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CA08E, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CA08E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-400 (#A6A09B).

What colors go well with #9CA08E?

As a neutral, #9CA08E pairs cleanly with either light or dark text depending on the surface, 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 #9CA08E the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9CA08E is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9CA08E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9CA08E

Not just a swatch — here's how #9CA08E works with other colors. Named schemes with #9CA08E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9CA08E Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8B09F Ink #2B2723

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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9CA08E Accent #A9C4B8 Surface #E3D8BE Secondary #9AA09F Anchor #183647

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

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9CA08E Secondary #516A38 Accent #B06904 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Dark Gray leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9CA08E Secondary #ADB5B7 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7795A1 Anchor #2D3235

Dark Gray 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 #9CA08E Secondary #C9CAC4 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

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.

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Color Lab

How #9CA08E 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 53/100

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 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 35/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

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 36/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9CA08E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CA08E with

Dark Gray Pewter Cool Gray Platinum Outer Space

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 6.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBEBE9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #96A08D — 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 #9CA08E 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: #9CA08E;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 160 142;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(69.7% 0.026 117.3);
  --color-50: #F8F8F7;
  --color-100: #ECEDE9;
  --color-200: #D8DAD3;
  --color-300: #BBBDB2;
  --color-400: #9DA092;
  --color-500: #7F8272;
  --color-600: #64675B;
  --color-700: #494B44;
  --color-800: #32332E;
  --color-900: #1F201D;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F8F8F7',
    100: '#ECEDE9',
    200: '#D8DAD3',
    300: '#BBBDB2',
    400: '#9DA092',
    500: '#7F8272',
    600: '#64675B',
    700: '#494B44',
    800: '#32332E',
    900: '#1F201D',
  },
}

$base: #9CA08E;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F8F7;
$base-100: #ECEDE9;
$base-200: #D8DAD3;
$base-300: #BBBDB2;
$base-400: #9DA092;
$base-500: #7F8272;
$base-600: #64675B;
$base-700: #494B44;
$base-800: #32332E;
$base-900: #1F201D;
$base-hover: #7E836E;
$base-subtle: #E1E2DD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CA08E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECEDE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D8DAD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BBBDB2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9DA092",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7F8272",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#64675B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#494B44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#32332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}