Exploring the Color #809D9F

#809D9F sits at 184° on the color wheel, placing it in the cyan family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 14% saturation and 56% lightness, it reads as a heavily muted, light tone — a quiet, restrained presence that recedes rather than competes. Its RGB mix of 128, 157, 159 produces a 7.24:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #809D9F is a clear variant of CSS gray — about 42 units away from #808080. Designers reach for cyan hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades