What color is #A8A1BE?

#A8A1BE is a light, muted indigo. In RGB it is rgb(168, 161, 190), and in HSL hsl(254, 18%, 69%).

Is #A8A1BE accessible as text?

On white, #A8A1BE has a contrast ratio of 2.47:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.51:1 (passes). For text placed on #A8A1BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A8A1BE?

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

What colors go well with #A8A1BE?

#A8A1BE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B8BEA2. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #A8A1BE below.

Is #A8A1BE good for buttons?

#A8A1BE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #A8A1BE — white text only reaches 2.47:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #A8A1BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #A8A1BE 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.

#A8A1BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A8A1BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #A8A1BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #A8A1BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #A8A1BE Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #A8A1BE Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #23334A

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 #A8A1BE 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 #A8A1BE Secondary #D3D1DB Support #9D9088 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 #A8A1BE Surface #F5E5D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C8 Secondary #332B2F

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

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #A8A1BE 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 45/100

Neutral

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

Softness 68/100

High

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

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 35/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 61/100

High

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

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #A8A1BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A8A1BE with

Lavender Gray 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 7.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEEDF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B2A2BE — 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 #A8A1BE 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: #A8A1BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 168 161 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(72.4% 0.042 296.4);
  --color-50: #F7F6F9;
  --color-100: #E9E7EE;
  --color-200: #D2CFDE;
  --color-300: #B1ACC3;
  --color-400: #918AA8;
  --color-500: #726B8A;
  --color-600: #5B566C;
  --color-700: #44404F;
  --color-800: #2E2C35;
  --color-900: #1D1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F6F9',
    100: '#E9E7EE',
    200: '#D2CFDE',
    300: '#B1ACC3',
    400: '#918AA8',
    500: '#726B8A',
    600: '#5B566C',
    700: '#44404F',
    800: '#2E2C35',
    900: '#1D1C21',
  },
}

$base: #A8A1BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F6F9;
$base-100: #E9E7EE;
$base-200: #D2CFDE;
$base-300: #B1ACC3;
$base-400: #918AA8;
$base-500: #726B8A;
$base-600: #5B566C;
$base-700: #44404F;
$base-800: #2E2C35;
$base-900: #1D1C21;
$base-hover: #8278A1;
$base-subtle: #E6E4EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A8A1BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9E7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2CFDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1ACC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#918AA8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#726B8A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B566C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#44404F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}