What color is #9FBBC6?

#9FBBC6 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(159, 187, 198), and in HSL hsl(197, 25%, 70%).

Is #9FBBC6 accessible as text?

On white, #9FBBC6 has a contrast ratio of 2.02:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.40:1 (passes). For text placed on #9FBBC6, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9FBBC6?

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

What colors go well with #9FBBC6?

As a neutral, #9FBBC6 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 #9FBBC6 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #9FBBC6 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) 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.

#9FBBC6 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9FBBC6

Not just a swatch — here's how #9FBBC6 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9FBBC6 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #9FBBC6 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

Ash Gray 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 #9FBBC6 Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

Ash Gray 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 #9FBBC6 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Ash 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9FBBC6 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #C7E1EC

Ash 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 Ash Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #9FBBC6 Secondary #DBE5E9 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Ash 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #9FBBC6 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 40/100

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 21/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 28/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

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 22/100

Low

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

Surface fit 68/100

High

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

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9FBBC6

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9FBBC6 with

Pastel Gray Cadet Grey Khaki 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 9.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDF1F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #9FAEC6 — 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 #9FBBC6 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #9FBBC6;
  --color-base-rgb: 159 187 198;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.5% 0.034 223.5);
  --color-50: #F5F8F9;
  --color-100: #E5EDF0;
  --color-200: #CCDBE0;
  --color-300: #A7BFC8;
  --color-400: #84A2AE;
  --color-500: #648490;
  --color-600: #516870;
  --color-700: #3D4C51;
  --color-800: #2A3336;
  --color-900: #1B2022;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F5F8F9',
    100: '#E5EDF0',
    200: '#CCDBE0',
    300: '#A7BFC8',
    400: '#84A2AE',
    500: '#648490',
    600: '#516870',
    700: '#3D4C51',
    800: '#2A3336',
    900: '#1B2022',
  },
}

$base: #9FBBC6;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F8F9;
$base-100: #E5EDF0;
$base-200: #CCDBE0;
$base-300: #A7BFC8;
$base-400: #84A2AE;
$base-500: #648490;
$base-600: #516870;
$base-700: #3D4C51;
$base-800: #2A3336;
$base-900: #1B2022;
$base-hover: #739BAB;
$base-subtle: #E4EAEC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9FBBC6",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5EDF0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCDBE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A7BFC8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#84A2AE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#648490",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#516870",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D4C51",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3336",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2022",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}