Exploring the Color #8B8CB4

#8B8CB4 sits at 239° on the color wheel, placing it in the blue family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 21% saturation and 63% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, light tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 139, 140, 180 produces a 6.51:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #8B8CB4 is a clear variant of CSS gray — about 54 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