#8CA3AC Hex Color
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#8ca3ac is a dusty, ashy cyan that feels muted rather than saturated. Because it sits between grey and blue, it works best as a supporting tone or background in modern UI designs. It maintains enough contrast to make black text readable, ensuring accessibility for fine details. Pair it with soft cream or terracotta to prevent this cool shade from looking too clinical.
Questions about #8ca3ac
What is #8ca3ac in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #8ca3ac is rgb(140, 163, 172), in HSL hsl(197, 16%, 61%) and in CMYK 19%, 5%, 0%, 33%. Browse more shades of gray with names and hex codes.
How can I balance the cool temperature of #8ca3ac in a design layout?
To prevent #8ca3ac from feeling too sterile or clinical, pair it with warm, earthy tones like terracotta or soft cream. This contrast warms up the underlying grey-blue, creating a more inviting and balanced visual experience for the user.
Is #8ca3ac suitable for use as a primary interface color?
Because #8ca3ac is quite muted, it functions better as a secondary or background element than as a high-visibility primary color. It excels in UI design when used to ground the layout while allowing stronger, more saturated colors to draw attention.
Is #8ca3ac readable on white or black?
#8ca3ac has a 2.64:1 contrast ratio on white and 7.94:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it is too faint for text and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.