What color is #9E9DC8?

#9E9DC8 is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(158, 157, 200), and in HSL hsl(241, 28%, 70%).

Is #9E9DC8 accessible as text?

On white, #9E9DC8 has a contrast ratio of 2.59:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.11:1 (passes). For text placed on #9E9DC8, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9E9DC8?

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

What colors go well with #9E9DC8?

#9E9DC8 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #C7C89D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9E9DC8 below.

Is #9E9DC8 good for buttons?

#9E9DC8 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9E9DC8 — white text only reaches 2.59:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9E9DC8 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9E9DC8 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.

#9E9DC8 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9E9DC8

Not just a swatch — here's how #9E9DC8 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9E9DC8 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9E9DC8 Secondary #AFB4B8 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 #9E9DC8 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 #9E9DC8 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 #9E9DC8 Secondary #CDCDDC 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 #9E9DC8 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C4C3EC

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 #9E9DC8 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 40/100

Neutral

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

Softness 64/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 44/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 54/100

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 #9E9DC8

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9E9DC8 with

Light Steel 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 7.2:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #AC9DC8 — 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 #9E9DC8 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: #9E9DC8;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 157 200;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.2% 0.062 285.8);
  --color-50: #F5F5FA;
  --color-100: #E5E5F1;
  --color-200: #CBCBE2;
  --color-300: #A6A6CA;
  --color-400: #8382B0;
  --color-500: #636293;
  --color-600: #504F72;
  --color-700: #3C3C53;
  --color-800: #2A2A37;
  --color-900: #1B1B22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F5FA',
    100: '#E5E5F1',
    200: '#CBCBE2',
    300: '#A6A6CA',
    400: '#8382B0',
    500: '#636293',
    600: '#504F72',
    700: '#3C3C53',
    800: '#2A2A37',
    900: '#1B1B22',
  },
}

$base: #9E9DC8;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F5FA;
$base-100: #E5E5F1;
$base-200: #CBCBE2;
$base-300: #A6A6CA;
$base-400: #8382B0;
$base-500: #636293;
$base-600: #504F72;
$base-700: #3C3C53;
$base-800: #2A2A37;
$base-900: #1B1B22;
$base-hover: #706FAE;
$base-subtle: #E3E3ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9E9DC8",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5E5F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBCBE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6A6CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8382B0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#636293",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#504F72",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C3C53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A2A37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1B22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #9E9DC8

Color Lab

Pairs with #9E9DC8

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export