What color is #CBD9EF?

#CBD9EF is a pale low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(203, 217, 239), and in HSL hsl(217, 53%, 87%).

Is #CBD9EF accessible as text?

On white, #CBD9EF has a contrast ratio of 1.43:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 14.71:1 (passes). For text placed on #CBD9EF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #CBD9EF?

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

What colors go well with #CBD9EF?

As a neutral, #CBD9EF 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 #CBD9EF the same as CSS gainsboro?

No — #CBD9EF is not the CSS named color gainsboro, but gainsboro (#DCDCDC) is the closest CSS named color.

#CBD9EF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #CBD9EF

Not just a swatch — here's how #CBD9EF works with other colors. Named schemes with #CBD9EF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #CBD9EF Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #CBD9EF Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 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 #CBD9EF Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B1B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #CBD9EF Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #EEFBFF

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 #CBD9EF Secondary #F5FAFF Support #9D8F89 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.

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Color Lab

How #CBD9EF 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 83/100

Very high

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

Depth 11/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 16/100

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 7/100

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 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #CBD9EF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #CBD9EF with

Pale Turquoise 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 13.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F6F8FB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #CCCEEF — 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 #CBD9EF 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: #CBD9EF;
  --color-base-rgb: 203 217 239;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(88.2% 0.034 259.4);
  --color-50: #F3F6FC;
  --color-100: #DFE8F6;
  --color-200: #C1D1EC;
  --color-300: #95B0DA;
  --color-400: #6D8FC5;
  --color-500: #4C70A9;
  --color-600: #405982;
  --color-700: #32425D;
  --color-800: #242D3D;
  --color-900: #171D26;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  gainsboro: {
    50: '#F3F6FC',
    100: '#DFE8F6',
    200: '#C1D1EC',
    300: '#95B0DA',
    400: '#6D8FC5',
    500: '#4C70A9',
    600: '#405982',
    700: '#32425D',
    800: '#242D3D',
    900: '#171D26',
  },
}

$base: #CBD9EF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F6FC;
$base-100: #DFE8F6;
$base-200: #C1D1EC;
$base-300: #95B0DA;
$base-400: #6D8FC5;
$base-500: #4C70A9;
$base-600: #405982;
$base-700: #32425D;
$base-800: #242D3D;
$base-900: #171D26;
$base-hover: #88A8DB;
$base-subtle: #F1F4F9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#CBD9EF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F6FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFE8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C1D1EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95B0DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6D8FC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4C70A9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#405982",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#32425D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#242D3D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171D26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #CBD9EF

Color Lab

Pairs with #CBD9EF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export