What color is #9EA8CD?

#9EA8CD is a light, muted blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(158, 168, 205), and in HSL hsl(227, 32%, 71%).

Is #9EA8CD accessible as text?

On white, #9EA8CD has a contrast ratio of 2.35:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.94:1 (passes). For text placed on #9EA8CD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9EA8CD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mist-400 (#9CA8AB).

What colors go well with #9EA8CD?

#9EA8CD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CDC29D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9EA8CD below.

Is #9EA8CD good for buttons?

#9EA8CD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9EA8CD — white text only reaches 2.35:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9EA8CD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9EA8CD 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.

#9EA8CD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9EA8CD

Not just a swatch — here's how #9EA8CD works with other colors. Named schemes with #9EA8CD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9EA8CD 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9EA8CD Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9EA8CD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9EA8CD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C5CEF1

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #9EA8CD Secondary #D2D6E3 Support #9D8F88 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9EA8CD 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

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 25/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 32/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 35/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 58/100

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 #9EA8CD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9EA8CD with

Light Blue Lilac Soft Sage Gainsboro Gunmetal 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 7.9:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #A39DCD — 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 #9EA8CD 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: #9EA8CD;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 168 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.6% 0.055 273.1);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E4E7F2;
  --color-200: #C9CFE3;
  --color-300: #A3ACCC;
  --color-400: #7F8AB3;
  --color-500: #5E6A97;
  --color-600: #4D5675;
  --color-700: #3A4054;
  --color-800: #292C38;
  --color-900: #1A1C23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E4E7F2',
    200: '#C9CFE3',
    300: '#A3ACCC',
    400: '#7F8AB3',
    500: '#5E6A97',
    600: '#4D5675',
    700: '#3A4054',
    800: '#292C38',
    900: '#1A1C23',
  },
}

$base: #9EA8CD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E4E7F2;
$base-200: #C9CFE3;
$base-300: #A3ACCC;
$base-400: #7F8AB3;
$base-500: #5E6A97;
$base-600: #4D5675;
$base-700: #3A4054;
$base-800: #292C38;
$base-900: #1A1C23;
$base-hover: #6E7DB4;
$base-subtle: #E3E6EE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9EA8CD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4E7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C9CFE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A3ACCC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7F8AB3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5E6A97",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4D5675",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3A4054",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292C38",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1C23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}