What color is #9EA9BE?

#9EA9BE is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(158, 169, 190), and in HSL hsl(219, 20%, 68%).

Is #9EA9BE accessible as text?

On white, #9EA9BE has a contrast ratio of 2.37:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.87:1 (passes). For text placed on #9EA9BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9EA9BE?

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

What colors go well with #9EA9BE?

As a neutral, #9EA9BE 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 #9EA9BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9EA9BE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#9EA9BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9EA9BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #9EA9BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #9EA9BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9EA9BE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A7 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 #9EA9BE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF 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 #9EA9BE Surface #EBEADD Highlight #F4F2E7 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 #9EA9BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #C5CFE3

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 #9EA9BE Secondary #D1D5DD 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.

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Color Lab

How #9EA9BE 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 42/100

Neutral

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

Softness 71/100

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 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

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 31/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 65/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9EA9BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9EA9BE with

Lavender Gray Cadet Grey Khaki Gainsboro Charcoal

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 7.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #ECEEF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9D9EBE — 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 #9EA9BE 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: #9EA9BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 169 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.3% 0.033 263.5);
  --color-50: #F6F7F9;
  --color-100: #E6E9EF;
  --color-200: #CED4DE;
  --color-300: #ABB4C5;
  --color-400: #8894AA;
  --color-500: #69758C;
  --color-600: #545D6D;
  --color-700: #3F454F;
  --color-800: #2C2F35;
  --color-900: #1C1E21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F6F7F9',
    100: '#E6E9EF',
    200: '#CED4DE',
    300: '#ABB4C5',
    400: '#8894AA',
    500: '#69758C',
    600: '#545D6D',
    700: '#3F454F',
    800: '#2C2F35',
    900: '#1C1E21',
  },
}

$base: #9EA9BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F7F9;
$base-100: #E6E9EF;
$base-200: #CED4DE;
$base-300: #ABB4C5;
$base-400: #8894AA;
$base-500: #69758C;
$base-600: #545D6D;
$base-700: #3F454F;
$base-800: #2C2F35;
$base-900: #1C1E21;
$base-hover: #7384A2;
$base-subtle: #E3E5EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9EA9BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E9EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED4DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABB4C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8894AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#69758C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#545D6D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F454F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2F35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1E21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}