What color is #A899BD?

#A899BD is a light, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(168, 153, 189), and in HSL hsl(265, 21%, 67%).

Is #A899BD accessible as text?

On white, #A899BD has a contrast ratio of 2.64:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.96:1 (passes). For text placed on #A899BD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A899BD?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-400 (#A89EA9).

What colors go well with #A899BD?

#A899BD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AEBD99. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #A899BD below.

Is #A899BD good for buttons?

#A899BD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #A899BD — white text only reaches 2.64:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #A899BD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #A899BD 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.

#A899BD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A899BD

Not just a swatch — here's how #A899BD works with other colors. Named schemes with #A899BD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #A899BD Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #A899BD Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #23334B

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #A899BD Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7F92A7 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #A899BD Secondary #D0CAD7 Support #9C9088 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #A899BD Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

Cadet Grey sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

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Color Lab

How #A899BD 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 65/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 35/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 43/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #A899BD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A899BD with

Light Steel Blue Lilac Laurel Green Gainsboro Onyx

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 7.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEECF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B499BD — 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 #A899BD 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: #A899BD;
  --color-base-rgb: 168 153 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.8% 0.054 304.0);
  --color-50: #F7F6F9;
  --color-100: #EAE6EF;
  --color-200: #D5CEDF;
  --color-300: #B5AAC5;
  --color-400: #9688AA;
  --color-500: #77688D;
  --color-600: #5F546E;
  --color-700: #463F50;
  --color-800: #302B35;
  --color-900: #1E1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F6F9',
    100: '#EAE6EF',
    200: '#D5CEDF',
    300: '#B5AAC5',
    400: '#9688AA',
    500: '#77688D',
    600: '#5F546E',
    700: '#463F50',
    800: '#302B35',
    900: '#1E1C21',
  },
}

$base: #A899BD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F6F9;
$base-100: #EAE6EF;
$base-200: #D5CEDF;
$base-300: #B5AAC5;
$base-400: #9688AA;
$base-500: #77688D;
$base-600: #5F546E;
$base-700: #463F50;
$base-800: #302B35;
$base-900: #1E1C21;
$base-hover: #8570A2;
$base-subtle: #E5E2EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A899BD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAE6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D5CEDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B5AAC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9688AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#77688D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5F546E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#463F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#302B35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #A899BD

Color Lab

Pairs with #A899BD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export