What color is #CBD5EC?

#CBD5EC is a pale low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(203, 213, 236), and in HSL hsl(222, 46%, 86%).

Is #CBD5EC accessible as text?

On white, #CBD5EC has a contrast ratio of 1.47:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 14.27:1 (passes). For text placed on #CBD5EC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #CBD5EC?

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

What colors go well with #CBD5EC?

As a neutral, #CBD5EC 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 #CBD5EC the same as CSS lightgray?

No — #CBD5EC is not the CSS named color lightgray, but lightgray (#D3D3D3) is the closest CSS named color.

#CBD5EC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #CBD5EC

Not just a swatch — here's how #CBD5EC works with other colors. Named schemes with #CBD5EC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #CBD5EC Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Light Gray 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 #CBD5EC Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Light Gray 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 #CBD5EC Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Light 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #CBD5EC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #F1FAFF

Light Gray 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 Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #CBD5EC Secondary #F6FAFF Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Light 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 Light Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #CBD5EC 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 82/100

Very high

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

Depth 12/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 23/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 17/100

Very low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 8/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 78/100

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 #CBD5EC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #CBD5EC with

Platinum Periwinkle Pearl 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 12.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F5F7FA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #CCCBEC — 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 #CBD5EC 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: #CBD5EC;
  --color-base-rgb: 203 213 236;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(87.3% 0.034 266.9);
  --color-50: #F3F6FB;
  --color-100: #E1E7F5;
  --color-200: #C4CFE9;
  --color-300: #9AACD5;
  --color-400: #738ABF;
  --color-500: #526AA3;
  --color-600: #44557E;
  --color-700: #35405A;
  --color-800: #252C3C;
  --color-900: #181C25;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-gray: {
    50: '#F3F6FB',
    100: '#E1E7F5',
    200: '#C4CFE9',
    300: '#9AACD5',
    400: '#738ABF',
    500: '#526AA3',
    600: '#44557E',
    700: '#35405A',
    800: '#252C3C',
    900: '#181C25',
  },
}

$base: #CBD5EC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F6FB;
$base-100: #E1E7F5;
$base-200: #C4CFE9;
$base-300: #9AACD5;
$base-400: #738ABF;
$base-500: #526AA3;
$base-600: #44557E;
$base-700: #35405A;
$base-800: #252C3C;
$base-900: #181C25;
$base-hover: #8BA1D4;
$base-subtle: #F1F3F8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#CBD5EC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F6FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1E7F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4CFE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9AACD5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#738ABF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#526AA3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#44557E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#35405A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#252C3C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#181C25",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #CBD5EC

Color Lab

Pairs with #CBD5EC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export