What color is #9CBBBE?

#9CBBBE is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(156, 187, 190), and in HSL hsl(185, 21%, 68%).

Is #9CBBBE accessible as text?

On white, #9CBBBE has a contrast ratio of 2.05:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.27:1 (passes). For text placed on #9CBBBE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9CBBBE?

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

What colors go well with #9CBBBE?

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

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

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

Palettes built on #9CBBBE

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9CBBBE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 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 #9CBBBE Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

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 #9CBBBE Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9CBBBE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #C5E1E4

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 #9CBBBE Secondary #D9E4E5 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9CBBBE 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 74/100

High

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

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

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 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 68/100

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 #9CBBBE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9CBBBE 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 9.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECF1F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9CB0BF — 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 #9CBBBE 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: #9CBBBE;
  --color-base-rgb: 156 187 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.0% 0.034 203.7);
  --color-50: #F6F9F9;
  --color-100: #E6EEEF;
  --color-200: #CEDDDF;
  --color-300: #AAC3C5;
  --color-400: #88A7AA;
  --color-500: #688A8D;
  --color-600: #546C6E;
  --color-700: #3F4E50;
  --color-800: #2B3535;
  --color-900: #1C2121;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F6F9F9',
    100: '#E6EEEF',
    200: '#CEDDDF',
    300: '#AAC3C5',
    400: '#88A7AA',
    500: '#688A8D',
    600: '#546C6E',
    700: '#3F4E50',
    800: '#2B3535',
    900: '#1C2121',
  },
}

$base: #9CBBBE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F9F9;
$base-100: #E6EEEF;
$base-200: #CEDDDF;
$base-300: #AAC3C5;
$base-400: #88A7AA;
$base-500: #688A8D;
$base-600: #546C6E;
$base-700: #3F4E50;
$base-800: #2B3535;
$base-900: #1C2121;
$base-hover: #729FA3;
$base-subtle: #E3EAEA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9CBBBE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EEEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDDDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAC3C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#88A7AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#688A8D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#546C6E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4E50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3535",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2121",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}