Exploring the Color #838496

#838496 sits at 237° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 8% saturation and 55% lightness, it reads as a heavily muted, light tone — a quiet, restrained presence that recedes rather than competes. Its RGB mix of 131, 132, 150 produces a 5.71:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #838496 is a close cousin of CSS gray — about 23 units away from #808080. Designers reach for blue 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