What color is #C9BCD1?

#C9BCD1 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(201, 188, 209), and in HSL hsl(277, 19%, 78%).

Is #C9BCD1 accessible as text?

On white, #C9BCD1 has a contrast ratio of 1.81:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.60:1 (passes). For text placed on #C9BCD1, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #C9BCD1?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is slate-300 (#CAD5E2).

What colors go well with #C9BCD1?

As a neutral, #C9BCD1 pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a soft background and let the accent carry the color.

Is #C9BCD1 the same as CSS thistle?

No — #C9BCD1 is not the CSS named color thistle, but thistle (#D8BFD8) 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.

#C9BCD1 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #C9BCD1

Not just a swatch — here's how #C9BCD1 works with other colors. Named schemes with #C9BCD1 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #C9BCD1 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Lavender Gray 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 #C9BCD1 Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #24334B

Lavender Gray 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 #C9BCD1 Secondary #AFB4B9 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #8091A8 Anchor #2F3236

Lavender Gray 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 #C9BCD1 Secondary #F2EDF5 Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

Lavender Gray 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 Lavender Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #C9BCD1 Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F Accent #E5C2C6 Secondary #332B2F

Lavender Gray 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 #C9BCD1 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 78/100

High

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

Depth 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 24/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 12/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 16/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 72/100

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 #C9BCD1

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #C9BCD1 with

Light Gray Thistle Soft 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 10.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F4F2F5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #D0BCD2 — 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 #C9BCD1 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #C9BCD1;
  --color-base-rgb: 201 188 209;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.2% 0.032 312.8);
  --color-50: #F8F6F9;
  --color-100: #ECE7EF;
  --color-200: #D8CEDE;
  --color-300: #BAABC4;
  --color-400: #9D89A9;
  --color-500: #7E6A8B;
  --color-600: #64556D;
  --color-700: #49404F;
  --color-800: #322C35;
  --color-900: #1F1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lavender-gray: {
    50: '#F8F6F9',
    100: '#ECE7EF',
    200: '#D8CEDE',
    300: '#BAABC4',
    400: '#9D89A9',
    500: '#7E6A8B',
    600: '#64556D',
    700: '#49404F',
    800: '#322C35',
    900: '#1F1C21',
  },
}

$base: #C9BCD1;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F6F9;
$base-100: #ECE7EF;
$base-200: #D8CEDE;
$base-300: #BAABC4;
$base-400: #9D89A9;
$base-500: #7E6A8B;
$base-600: #64556D;
$base-700: #49404F;
$base-800: #322C35;
$base-900: #1F1C21;
$base-hover: #A38DB1;
$base-subtle: #EFECF1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#C9BCD1",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECE7EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D8CEDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BAABC4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9D89A9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7E6A8B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#64556D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#49404F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #C9BCD1

Color Lab

Pairs with #C9BCD1

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export