What color is #AA9BB5?

#AA9BB5 is a light, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(170, 155, 181), and in HSL hsl(275, 15%, 66%).

Is #AA9BB5 accessible as text?

On white, #AA9BB5 has a contrast ratio of 2.60:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.06:1 (passes). For text placed on #AA9BB5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AA9BB5?

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

What colors go well with #AA9BB5?

#AA9BB5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #A6B59B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AA9BB5 below.

Is #AA9BB5 good for buttons?

#AA9BB5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AA9BB5 — white text only reaches 2.60:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AA9BB5 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #AA9BB5 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.

#AA9BB5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AA9BB5

Not just a swatch — here's how #AA9BB5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #AA9BB5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #AA9BB5 Surface #F1E8DC 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 #AA9BB5 Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #24334B

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 #AA9BB5 Secondary #AFB4B9 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #8091A7 Anchor #2F3236

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 #AA9BB5 Secondary #D1CCD5 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 #AA9BB5 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 #AA9BB5 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 48/100

Neutral

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

Softness 67/100

High

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

Depth 27/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 43/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

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 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 60/100

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 #AA9BB5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AA9BB5 with

Silver Dark Gray Laurel Green 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 7.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEECF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B39BB5 — 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 #AA9BB5 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: #AA9BB5;
  --color-base-rgb: 170 155 181;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.1% 0.041 311.0);
  --color-50: #F8F6F9;
  --color-100: #EBE7EE;
  --color-200: #D7D0DC;
  --color-300: #B9AEC1;
  --color-400: #9B8DA5;
  --color-500: #7D6D88;
  --color-600: #62586A;
  --color-700: #48414D;
  --color-800: #312D34;
  --color-900: #1F1D21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F8F6F9',
    100: '#EBE7EE',
    200: '#D7D0DC',
    300: '#B9AEC1',
    400: '#9B8DA5',
    500: '#7D6D88',
    600: '#62586A',
    700: '#48414D',
    800: '#312D34',
    900: '#1F1D21',
  },
}

$base: #AA9BB5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F6F9;
$base-100: #EBE7EE;
$base-200: #D7D0DC;
$base-300: #B9AEC1;
$base-400: #9B8DA5;
$base-500: #7D6D88;
$base-600: #62586A;
$base-700: #48414D;
$base-800: #312D34;
$base-900: #1F1D21;
$base-hover: #8A7599;
$base-subtle: #E5E2E8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AA9BB5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBE7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D7D0DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B9AEC1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9B8DA5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7D6D88",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#62586A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#48414D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#312D34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1D21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}