What color is #AB9DBD?

#AB9DBD is a light, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(171, 157, 189), and in HSL hsl(266, 20%, 68%).

Is #AB9DBD accessible as text?

On white, #AB9DBD has a contrast ratio of 2.53:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.29:1 (passes). For text placed on #AB9DBD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AB9DBD?

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

What colors go well with #AB9DBD?

#AB9DBD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B0BE9D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AB9DBD below.

Is #AB9DBD good for buttons?

#AB9DBD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AB9DBD — white text only reaches 2.53:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AB9DBD the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #AB9DBD 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.

#AB9DBD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AB9DBD

Not just a swatch — here's how #AB9DBD works with other colors. Named schemes with #AB9DBD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #AB9DBD 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 #AB9DBD 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 #AB9DBD Secondary #AFB4B8 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 #AB9DBD Secondary #D3CEDA 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 #AB9DBD 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #AB9DBD 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 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 44/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 33/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

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 59/100

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 #AB9DBD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AB9DBD 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 7.3:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #B69DBE — 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 #AB9DBD 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: #AB9DBD;
  --color-base-rgb: 171 157 189;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(71.9% 0.048 305.0);
  --color-50: #F7F6F9;
  --color-100: #EAE6EF;
  --color-200: #D5CEDE;
  --color-300: #B6ABC5;
  --color-400: #9788AA;
  --color-500: #78698C;
  --color-600: #5F546D;
  --color-700: #463F4F;
  --color-800: #302C35;
  --color-900: #1E1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F7F6F9',
    100: '#EAE6EF',
    200: '#D5CEDE',
    300: '#B6ABC5',
    400: '#9788AA',
    500: '#78698C',
    600: '#5F546D',
    700: '#463F4F',
    800: '#302C35',
    900: '#1E1C21',
  },
}

$base: #AB9DBD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F6F9;
$base-100: #EAE6EF;
$base-200: #D5CEDE;
$base-300: #B6ABC5;
$base-400: #9788AA;
$base-500: #78698C;
$base-600: #5F546D;
$base-700: #463F4F;
$base-800: #302C35;
$base-900: #1E1C21;
$base-hover: #8873A2;
$base-subtle: #E6E3EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AB9DBD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAE6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D5CEDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B6ABC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9788AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#78698C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5F546D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#463F4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#302C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}