What color is #9CA4CD?

#9CA4CD is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(156, 164, 205), and in HSL hsl(230, 33%, 71%).

Is #9CA4CD accessible as text?

On white, #9CA4CD has a contrast ratio of 2.44:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.61:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CA4CD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CA4CD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-400 (#A89EA9).

What colors go well with #9CA4CD?

#9CA4CD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CDC59D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9CA4CD below.

Is #9CA4CD good for buttons?

#9CA4CD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9CA4CD — white text only reaches 2.44:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9CA4CD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9CA4CD is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#9CA4CD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9CA4CD

Not just a swatch — here's how #9CA4CD works with other colors. Named schemes with #9CA4CD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9CA4CD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Cadet Grey 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 #9CA4CD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 Ink #2C2724

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 #9CA4CD Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Cadet Grey 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 #F8F4EF Accent #9CA4CD Secondary #CFD2E1 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9CA4CD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C3CAF1

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9CA4CD 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 38/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 66/100

High

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

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 41/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 39/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9CA4CD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CA4CD with

Light Blue Lilac Soft Sage Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 7.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDEEF4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A59DCD — 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 #9CA4CD at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #9CA4CD;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 164 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.7% 0.060 276.2);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E3E6F2;
  --color-200: #C9CDE4;
  --color-300: #A2A9CD;
  --color-400: #7E87B4;
  --color-500: #5D6797;
  --color-600: #4C5375;
  --color-700: #3A3F55;
  --color-800: #292B38;
  --color-900: #1A1C23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E3E6F2',
    200: '#C9CDE4',
    300: '#A2A9CD',
    400: '#7E87B4',
    500: '#5D6797',
    600: '#4C5375',
    700: '#3A3F55',
    800: '#292B38',
    900: '#1A1C23',
  },
}

$base: #9CA4CD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E3E6F2;
$base-200: #C9CDE4;
$base-300: #A2A9CD;
$base-400: #7E87B4;
$base-500: #5D6797;
$base-600: #4C5375;
$base-700: #3A3F55;
$base-800: #292B38;
$base-900: #1A1C23;
$base-hover: #6C79B5;
$base-subtle: #E3E5EE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CA4CD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3E6F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C9CDE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A2A9CD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7E87B4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5D6797",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4C5375",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3A3F55",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292B38",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1C23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}