What color is #AC99AE?

#AC99AE is a light, neutral gray. In RGB it is rgb(172, 153, 174), and in HSL hsl(294, 11%, 64%).

Is #AC99AE accessible as text?

On white, #AC99AE has a contrast ratio of 2.65:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.92:1 (passes). For text placed on #AC99AE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AC99AE?

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

What colors go well with #AC99AE?

#AC99AE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #9BAD99. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #AC99AE below.

Is #AC99AE good for buttons?

#AC99AE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #AC99AE — white text only reaches 2.65:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #AC99AE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #AC99AE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#AC99AE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AC99AE

Not just a swatch — here's how #AC99AE works with other colors. Named schemes with #AC99AE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #AC99AE Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 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 #AC99AE Accent #A5C3C5 Surface #E8D6BF 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 #AC99AE Secondary #AFB4B9 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #8191A8 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 #AC99AE Secondary #D1CAD1 Support #9C9087 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 #AC99AE Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5D203E Accent #E6C2C6 Secondary #332B2E

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 #AC99AE 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 51/100

Neutral

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

Softness 68/100

High

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

Depth 28/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

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 61/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AC99AE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AC99AE with

Dark Gray Rosy Brown Sage 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 7.0:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #AD99A9 — 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 #AC99AE 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: #AC99AE;
  --color-base-rgb: 172 153 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(70.6% 0.037 323.0);
  --color-50: #F8F6F8;
  --color-100: #ECE8ED;
  --color-200: #DAD2DB;
  --color-300: #BDB1BF;
  --color-400: #A090A2;
  --color-500: #827184;
  --color-600: #665A68;
  --color-700: #4B434C;
  --color-800: #332E33;
  --color-900: #201D20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-grey: {
    50: '#F8F6F8',
    100: '#ECE8ED',
    200: '#DAD2DB',
    300: '#BDB1BF',
    400: '#A090A2',
    500: '#827184',
    600: '#665A68',
    700: '#4B434C',
    800: '#332E33',
    900: '#201D20',
  },
}

$base: #AC99AE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F6F8;
$base-100: #ECE8ED;
$base-200: #DAD2DB;
$base-300: #BDB1BF;
$base-400: #A090A2;
$base-500: #827184;
$base-600: #665A68;
$base-700: #4B434C;
$base-800: #332E33;
$base-900: #201D20;
$base-hover: #8E7590;
$base-subtle: #E5E1E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AC99AE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECE8ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DAD2DB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BDB1BF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A090A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#827184",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#665A68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4B434C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#332E33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}