What color is #A8A9B3?

#A8A9B3 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(168, 169, 179), and in HSL hsl(235, 7%, 68%).

Is #A8A9B3 accessible as text?

On white, #A8A9B3 has a contrast ratio of 2.34:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.99:1 (passes). For text placed on #A8A9B3, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A8A9B3?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-400 (#9F9FA9).

What colors go well with #A8A9B3?

As a neutral, #A8A9B3 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 #A8A9B3 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #A8A9B3 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#A8A9B3 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A8A9B3

Not just a swatch — here's how #A8A9B3 works with other colors. Named schemes with #A8A9B3 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #A8A9B3 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 Ink #2C2724

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 #A8A9B3 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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 #A8A9B3 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #CECFD9

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 #A8A9B3 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 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 #F8F4EF Accent #A8A9B3 Secondary #D6D6DA Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

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 #A8A9B3 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 47/100

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 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

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 71/100

High

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

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #A8A9B3

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A8A9B3 with

Silver Dark Gray Gainsboro 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 8.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEEEF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #ABA8B3 — 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 #A8A9B3 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

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: #A8A9B3;
  --color-base-rgb: 168 169 179;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.7% 0.014 281.5);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #E9E9EC;
  --color-200: #D3D4D9;
  --color-300: #B3B4BC;
  --color-400: #93949F;
  --color-500: #747581;
  --color-600: #5D5D65;
  --color-700: #45454A;
  --color-800: #2F2F32;
  --color-900: #1D1E20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#E9E9EC',
    200: '#D3D4D9',
    300: '#B3B4BC',
    400: '#93949F',
    500: '#747581',
    600: '#5D5D65',
    700: '#45454A',
    800: '#2F2F32',
    900: '#1D1E20',
  },
}

$base: #A8A9B3;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #E9E9EC;
$base-200: #D3D4D9;
$base-300: #B3B4BC;
$base-400: #93949F;
$base-500: #747581;
$base-600: #5D5D65;
$base-700: #45454A;
$base-800: #2F2F32;
$base-900: #1D1E20;
$base-hover: #838493;
$base-subtle: #E5E5E8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A8A9B3",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9E9EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D4D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B3B4BC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#93949F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#747581",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5D5D65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#45454A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F2F32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1E20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}