What color is #9DA1C9?

#9DA1C9 is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(157, 161, 201), and in HSL hsl(235, 29%, 70%).

Is #9DA1C9 accessible as text?

On white, #9DA1C9 has a contrast ratio of 2.51:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.37:1 (passes). For text placed on #9DA1C9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9DA1C9?

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

What colors go well with #9DA1C9?

#9DA1C9 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C9C59C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9DA1C9 below.

Is #9DA1C9 good for buttons?

#9DA1C9 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9DA1C9 — white text only reaches 2.51:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9DA1C9 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9DA1C9 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.

#9DA1C9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9DA1C9

Not just a swatch — here's how #9DA1C9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9DA1C9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9DA1C9 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 #9DA1C9 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 #9DA1C9 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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 #9DA1C9 Secondary #CED0DE 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 #9DA1C9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C3C7ED

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 #9DA1C9 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 39/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 66/100

High

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

Depth 27/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 42/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 22/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9DA1C9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9DA1C9 with

Lavender Gray 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 7.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDEDF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A79CC9 — 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 #9DA1C9 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: #9DA1C9;
  --color-base-rgb: 157 161 201;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.0% 0.058 280.4);
  --color-50: #F5F5FA;
  --color-100: #E4E5F1;
  --color-200: #CACCE2;
  --color-300: #A5A8CA;
  --color-400: #8185B1;
  --color-500: #616594;
  --color-600: #4F5273;
  --color-700: #3C3E53;
  --color-800: #292B37;
  --color-900: #1B1B23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F5FA',
    100: '#E4E5F1',
    200: '#CACCE2',
    300: '#A5A8CA',
    400: '#8185B1',
    500: '#616594',
    600: '#4F5273',
    700: '#3C3E53',
    800: '#292B37',
    900: '#1B1B23',
  },
}

$base: #9DA1C9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F5FA;
$base-100: #E4E5F1;
$base-200: #CACCE2;
$base-300: #A5A8CA;
$base-400: #8185B1;
$base-500: #616594;
$base-600: #4F5273;
$base-700: #3C3E53;
$base-800: #292B37;
$base-900: #1B1B23;
$base-hover: #6E74AF;
$base-subtle: #E3E4ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9DA1C9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4E5F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CACCE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A5A8CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8185B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#616594",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F5273",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C3E53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292B37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1B23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9DA1C9

Color Lab

Pairs with #9DA1C9

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export