What color is #9FAEAD?

#9FAEAD is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(159, 174, 173), and in HSL hsl(176, 8%, 65%).

Is #9FAEAD accessible as text?

On white, #9FAEAD has a contrast ratio of 2.30:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.13:1 (passes). For text placed on #9FAEAD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9FAEAD?

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

What colors go well with #9FAEAD?

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

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

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

Palettes built on #9FAEAD

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9FAEAD Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F 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 #9FAEAD Accent #A7C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

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 #9FAEAD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #C6D4D3

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 #9FAEAD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 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 #9FAEAD Secondary #D3D8D8 Support #979286 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 #9FAEAD 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 74/100

High

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

Depth 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 5/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 28/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 7/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 25/100

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 #9FAEAD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9FAEAD with

Ash Gray Dark Gray Platinum Outer Space

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 #ECEEEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9FA9AD — 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 #9FAEAD 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: #9FAEAD;
  --color-base-rgb: 159 174 173;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.9% 0.017 192.0);
  --color-50: #F7F8F8;
  --color-100: #E9ECEC;
  --color-200: #D3D9D9;
  --color-300: #B2BDBC;
  --color-400: #92A09F;
  --color-500: #738181;
  --color-600: #5C6665;
  --color-700: #444B4A;
  --color-800: #2F3232;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F7F8F8',
    100: '#E9ECEC',
    200: '#D3D9D9',
    300: '#B2BDBC',
    400: '#92A09F',
    500: '#738181',
    600: '#5C6665',
    700: '#444B4A',
    800: '#2F3232',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #9FAEAD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F8;
$base-100: #E9ECEC;
$base-200: #D3D9D9;
$base-300: #B2BDBC;
$base-400: #92A09F;
$base-500: #738181;
$base-600: #5C6665;
$base-700: #444B4A;
$base-800: #2F3232;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #7B8E8D;
$base-subtle: #E3E6E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9FAEAD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9ECEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D9D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B2BDBC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#92A09F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#738181",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5C6665",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#444B4A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F3232",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}