What color is #CADEEF?

#CADEEF is a pale low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(202, 222, 239), and in HSL hsl(208, 54%, 86%).

Is #CADEEF accessible as text?

On white, #CADEEF has a contrast ratio of 1.38:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 15.21:1 (passes). For text placed on #CADEEF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #CADEEF?

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

What colors go well with #CADEEF?

As a neutral, #CADEEF 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 #CADEEF the same as CSS gainsboro?

No — #CADEEF is not the CSS named color gainsboro, but gainsboro (#DCDCDC) is the closest CSS named color.

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

Palettes built on #CADEEF

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #CADEEF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Gainsboro 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

Lead #CADEEF Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #20344A

Gainsboro 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

Base #CADEEF Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2823

Gainsboro 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

Signal #CADEEF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #EBFDFF

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #CADEEF Secondary #F4FBFF Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Gainsboro 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 Gainsboro carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #CADEEF 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 41/100

Neutral

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

Softness 84/100

Very high

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

Depth 10/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 20/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 15/100

Very 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 6/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 80/100

High

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

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #CADEEF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #CADEEF with

Pale Turquoise Periwinkle Almond 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 13.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F5F8FB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #C8D0EF — 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 #CADEEF 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: #CADEEF;
  --color-base-rgb: 202 222 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(89.1% 0.032 243.7);
  --color-50: #F3F8FC;
  --color-100: #DFEBF6;
  --color-200: #C0D8EC;
  --color-300: #95BADA;
  --color-400: #6C9CC6;
  --color-500: #4B7EAA;
  --color-600: #3F6383;
  --color-700: #32495D;
  --color-800: #23313D;
  --color-900: #171F26;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  gainsboro: {
    50: '#F3F8FC',
    100: '#DFEBF6',
    200: '#C0D8EC',
    300: '#95BADA',
    400: '#6C9CC6',
    500: '#4B7EAA',
    600: '#3F6383',
    700: '#32495D',
    800: '#23313D',
    900: '#171F26',
  },
}

$base: #CADEEF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F8FC;
$base-100: #DFEBF6;
$base-200: #C0D8EC;
$base-300: #95BADA;
$base-400: #6C9CC6;
$base-500: #4B7EAA;
$base-600: #3F6383;
$base-700: #32495D;
$base-800: #23313D;
$base-900: #171F26;
$base-hover: #84B2DA;
$base-subtle: #F0F5F9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#CADEEF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F8FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFEBF6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C0D8EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95BADA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6C9CC6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4B7EAA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3F6383",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#32495D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23313D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171F26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #CADEEF

Color Lab

Pairs with #CADEEF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export