Nearest named color: Light Steel Blue
#ABB8CB
#ABB8CB
Nearest named
Light Steel Blue
Family
Gray
Lightness
77.9%
Chroma
0.031
Hue angle
257.8°
Temperature
Cool
Contrast on white
2.01:1 · Fail
Contrast on black
9.24:1 · AAA
Web-safe
#99CCCC
CSS oklch()
78% 0.03 258

#ABB8CB is a muted, temperate indigo. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too pale to lead as a primary accent.

Palettes built on #ABB8CB

Not just a swatch — here's how #ABB8CB works with other colors. Named schemes with #ABB8CB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Light Steel Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Light Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Light Steel Blue 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Light Steel Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Light Steel Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Light Steel Blue 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 Light Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #ABB8CB 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 42/100
Neutral
Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.
Softness 75/100
High
Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.
Depth 21/100
Low
Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.
Naturalness 0/100
Very low
Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.
Vintage feel 28/100
Low
A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.
Luxury 27/100
Low
Understated — leans refined without going austere.
Brand distinctiveness 12/100
Very low
Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.
UI accent fit 21/100
Low
Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.
Surface fit 70/100
High
Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.
Print safety 94/100
Very high
Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #ABB8CB

For UI
For branding
For interior
For fashion
People also use #ABB8CB with

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 9.2:1. Use
Subtle surface Use #EFF1F4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80
Avoid beside #AAACCB — 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 #ABB8CB 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

Scales

ShadesBase darkened in 10% steps
TintsBase lifted toward white
TonesSaturation removed, lightness held
Monochromatic scaleDesign-system ready, 50–900

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #ABB8CB;
  --color-base-rgb: 171 184 203;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.9% 0.031 257.8);
  --color-50: #F5F7F9;
  --color-100: #E5EAF0;
  --color-200: #CCD4E0;
  --color-300: #A8B5C7;
  --color-400: #8595AD;
  --color-500: #657690;
  --color-600: #525E70;
  --color-700: #3E4551;
  --color-800: #2B2F36;
  --color-900: #1B1E22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}