What color is #9EABCD?

#9EABCD is a light, muted blue. In RGB it is rgb(158, 171, 205), and in HSL hsl(223, 32%, 71%).

Is #9EABCD accessible as text?

On white, #9EABCD has a contrast ratio of 2.29:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.16:1 (passes). For text placed on #9EABCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9EABCD?

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

What colors go well with #9EABCD?

#9EABCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CDBF9D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9EABCD below.

Is #9EABCD good for buttons?

#9EABCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9EABCD — white text only reaches 2.29:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9EABCD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #9EABCD 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.

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

Palettes built on #9EABCD

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9EABCD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D92A7 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 #9EABCD 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 #9EABCD 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 #9EABCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #C5D1F1

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 #9EABCD Secondary #D3D8E5 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 #9EABCD 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 69/100

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 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 20/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 33/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 60/100

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 #9EABCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9EABCD with

Light Blue Lilac Tan 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 8.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDEFF4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A09DCD — 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 #9EABCD 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: #9EABCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 158 171 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.3% 0.051 268.7);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E4E8F2;
  --color-200: #C9D1E3;
  --color-300: #A3AFCC;
  --color-400: #7F8EB3;
  --color-500: #5E6E97;
  --color-600: #4D5875;
  --color-700: #3A4254;
  --color-800: #292D38;
  --color-900: #1A1D23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E4E8F2',
    200: '#C9D1E3',
    300: '#A3AFCC',
    400: '#7F8EB3',
    500: '#5E6E97',
    600: '#4D5875',
    700: '#3A4254',
    800: '#292D38',
    900: '#1A1D23',
  },
}

$base: #9EABCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E4E8F2;
$base-200: #C9D1E3;
$base-300: #A3AFCC;
$base-400: #7F8EB3;
$base-500: #5E6E97;
$base-600: #4D5875;
$base-700: #3A4254;
$base-800: #292D38;
$base-900: #1A1D23;
$base-hover: #6E82B4;
$base-subtle: #E3E6EE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9EABCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4E8F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C9D1E3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A3AFCC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7F8EB3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5E6E97",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4D5875",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3A4254",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#292D38",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1D23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}