What color is #9FABAE?

#9FABAE is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(159, 171, 174), and in HSL hsl(192, 8%, 65%).

Is #9FABAE accessible as text?

On white, #9FABAE has a contrast ratio of 2.36:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.91:1 (passes). For text placed on #9FABAE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9FABAE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-400 (#A1A1A1).

What colors go well with #9FABAE?

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

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

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

Palettes built on #9FABAE

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9FABAE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Dark Gray 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 #9FABAE Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Dark Gray opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9FABAE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C6D1D4

Dark Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Dark Gray.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9FABAE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Dark Gray keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9FABAE Secondary #D2D6D7 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Dark Gray 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 Dark Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9FABAE 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 73/100

High

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

Depth 25/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 26/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 5/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 70/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9FABAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9FABAE with

Ash Gray Cadet Grey Dark Gray Platinum 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 7.9:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #9FA5AD — 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 #9FABAE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #9FABAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 159 171 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.3% 0.014 214.4);
  --color-50: #F7F8F8;
  --color-100: #E9ECEC;
  --color-200: #D3D8D9;
  --color-300: #B2BBBD;
  --color-400: #929DA0;
  --color-500: #737F81;
  --color-600: #5C6466;
  --color-700: #44494B;
  --color-800: #2F3232;
  --color-900: #1D1F20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F7F8F8',
    100: '#E9ECEC',
    200: '#D3D8D9',
    300: '#B2BBBD',
    400: '#929DA0',
    500: '#737F81',
    600: '#5C6466',
    700: '#44494B',
    800: '#2F3232',
    900: '#1D1F20',
  },
}

$base: #9FABAE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F8;
$base-100: #E9ECEC;
$base-200: #D3D8D9;
$base-300: #B2BBBD;
$base-400: #929DA0;
$base-500: #737F81;
$base-600: #5C6466;
$base-700: #44494B;
$base-800: #2F3232;
$base-900: #1D1F20;
$base-hover: #7B8A8E;
$base-subtle: #E3E5E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9FABAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9ECEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D8D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B2BBBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#929DA0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#737F81",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5C6466",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#44494B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F3232",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1F20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}