What color is #AA9ABC?

#AA9ABC is a light, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(170, 154, 188), and in HSL hsl(268, 20%, 67%).

Is #AA9ABC accessible as text?

On white, #AA9ABC has a contrast ratio of 2.61:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.06:1 (passes). For text placed on #AA9ABC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AA9ABC?

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

What colors go well with #AA9ABC?

#AA9ABC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #ACBC9A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AA9ABC below.

Is #AA9ABC good for buttons?

#AA9ABC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AA9ABC — white text only reaches 2.61:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AA9ABC the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #AA9ABC 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.

#AA9ABC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AA9ABC

Not just a swatch — here's how #AA9ABC works with other colors. Named schemes with #AA9ABC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #AA9ABC 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 #AA9ABC 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 #AA9ABC Secondary #AFB4B9 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #8092A7 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 #AA9ABC Secondary #D1CBD8 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 #AA9ABC Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F 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 #AA9ABC 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 66/100

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 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 20/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AA9ABC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AA9ABC 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 7.1:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #B59ABC — 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 #AA9ABC 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: #AA9ABC;
  --color-base-rgb: 170 154 188;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.1% 0.052 306.4);
  --color-50: #F7F6F9;
  --color-100: #EAE6EF;
  --color-200: #D6CEDE;
  --color-300: #B7ABC5;
  --color-400: #9888AA;
  --color-500: #79698C;
  --color-600: #60546D;
  --color-700: #473F4F;
  --color-800: #302C35;
  --color-900: #1E1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F6F9',
    100: '#EAE6EF',
    200: '#D6CEDE',
    300: '#B7ABC5',
    400: '#9888AA',
    500: '#79698C',
    600: '#60546D',
    700: '#473F4F',
    800: '#302C35',
    900: '#1E1C21',
  },
}

$base: #AA9ABC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F6F9;
$base-100: #EAE6EF;
$base-200: #D6CEDE;
$base-300: #B7ABC5;
$base-400: #9888AA;
$base-500: #79698C;
$base-600: #60546D;
$base-700: #473F4F;
$base-800: #302C35;
$base-900: #1E1C21;
$base-hover: #8771A0;
$base-subtle: #E5E2EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AA9ABC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAE6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D6CEDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B7ABC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9888AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#79698C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#60546D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#473F4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#302C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #AA9ABC

Color Lab

Pairs with #AA9ABC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export