#aca4cf
a light, soft blue · cool · closest name: Thistle
Token name suggestion: Meadow Harbour
#aca4cf is a light soft blue, 251° on the wheel and 74/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (8.97:1). As text it scores 2.34:1 on white — use #786BB1 instead. Nearest name is Thistle, nearest Tailwind family is slate.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #aca4cf is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #aca4cf.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #aca4cf |
| HEX (8-digit) | #aca4cfff |
| RGB | rgb(172, 164, 207) |
| RGBA | rgba(172, 164, 207, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(251, 31%, 73%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(251, 21%, 81%) |
| HWB | hwb(251 64% 19%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(17%, 21%, 0%, 19%) |
| LAB | lab(69.3 11.6 -20.8) |
| LCH | lch(69.3 23.9 299.1) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.740 0.062 293.4) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(41.55, 39.83, 64.52) |
| Decimal | 11314383 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.675 0.643 0.812) |
| Web-safe | #9999CC |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #aca4cf;
background-color: #aca4cf;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #aca4cf;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#aca4cf] bg-[#aca4cf]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #aca4cf;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.675, green: 0.643, blue: 0.812)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.675, green: 0.643, blue: 0.812, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#ACA4CF</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFACA4CF)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFACA4CF)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(207, 164, 172)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(172, 164, 207)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(172, 164, 207)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 172, 164, 207)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.6745f, 0.6431f, 0.8118f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{172,164,207}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #aca4cf 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #aca4cf 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#332C53, #DAD7EA); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #aca4cf h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F6F6F9;
--brand-100: #EDECF3;
--brand-200: #D8D5E7;
--brand-300: #aca4cf;
--brand-400: #9B91C5;
--brand-500: #796CB1;
--brand-600: #6355A0;
--brand-700: #524686;
--brand-800: #42386B;
--brand-900: #322C4F;
--brand-950: #1F1B31;
--brand: #aca4cf;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #F6F5FA;
--brand-border: #CECAE3;
--brand-hover: #978DC3;
--brand-pressed: #8175B6;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #171424;
--brand-ink: #DAD7EA;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F6F6F9',
100: '#EDECF3',
200: '#D8D5E7',
300: '#aca4cf',
400: '#9B91C5',
500: '#796CB1',
600: '#6355A0',
700: '#524686',
800: '#42386B',
900: '#322C4F',
950: '#1F1B31',
DEFAULT: '#aca4cf',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F6F6F9,
'100': #EDECF3,
'200': #D8D5E7,
'300': #aca4cf,
'400': #9B91C5,
'500': #796CB1,
'600': #6355A0,
'700': #524686,
'800': #42386B,
'900': #322C4F,
'950': #1F1B31,
);
$brand-base: #aca4cf;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F6F6F9", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#EDECF3", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#D8D5E7", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#aca4cf", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#9B91C5", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#796CB1", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#6355A0", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#524686", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#42386B", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#322C4F", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#1F1B31", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #978DC3 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #aca4cf as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #aca4cf.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 2.34:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 2.24:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 2.14:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 1.90:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.58:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.09:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 2.03:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 3.24:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 4.42:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 6.25:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 7.62:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 8.97:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #aca4cf is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.015 293.4);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.025 293.4);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.037 293.4);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.048 293.4);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.057 293.4);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.062 293.4);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.062 293.4);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.058 293.4);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.052 293.4);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.043 293.4);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.034 293.4);
}Colors that work with #aca4cf
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #aca4cf
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed.
The muted chroma softens the association — it reads considered rather than loud, which suits long-form and data-heavy screens. The lightness keeps it airy and approachable.
It is also the most crowded hue on the web. Distinctiveness has to come from your other choices.
- FormalityMedium
- EnergyMedium
- Weight27/100
- TemperatureCool
- ApproachabilityReserved
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #C7CFA4 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #A4B1CF | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #C1A4CF | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #CFC1A4 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #B1CFA4 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #CFACA4 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #A4CFAC | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #CFA4B1 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#aca4cf sits at 251°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 57%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#aca4cf text on a black background
contrast 8.97:1
#aca4cf text on a white background
contrast 2.34:1
#aca4cf on grey
2.14:1
#aca4cf on its own surface
2.16:1
#aca4cf on its dark surface
7.72:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #aca4cf;
background-color: #aca4cf;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #aca4cf;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(172, 164, 207, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(172, 164, 207, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #aca4cf; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #aca4cf, #C9A4CF);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #aca4cf, #CFA4CA); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #aca4cf; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #aca4cf; caret-color: #aca4cf;
border-left: 4px solid #aca4cf;
background: #F0EEF6; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #aca4cf;
background: conic-gradient(#aca4cf 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #aca4cf over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(172, 164, 207, 0.5) rgb(172 164 207 / 50%) #aca4cf80 hsl(251 31% 73% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #aca4cf 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #aca4cf1a | #F7F6FA |
| 20% | #aca4cf33 | #EEEDF5 |
| 40% | #aca4cf66 | #DEDBEC |
| 60% | #aca4cf99 | #CDC8E2 |
| 80% | #aca4cfcc | #BDB6D9 |
Gradients from #aca4cf
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #D0CCE4, #aca4cf 45%, #332C53);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #aca4cf, #C190C4);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #aca4cf, #C7CFA4);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #E3E0EF 0%, #aca4cf 45%, #332C53 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F6F5FA, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #C5D0E1 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D2B8D9 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #332C53 0%, transparent 65%), #aca4cf;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #aca4cf
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Lilac (#c8a2c8) — ΔE2000 9 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#aca4cf in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 8.97:1.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#aca4cf, answered
What color is #aca4cf?
#aca4cf is a light soft blue, closest to Thistle (ΔE2000 11.4). It sits at 251° on the hue wheel with 31% saturation and 73% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #aca4cf?
rgb(172, 164, 207) — 172 red, 164 green and 207 blue out of 255, or 67.5% / 64.3% / 81.2% by channel.
What is #aca4cf in HSL and HSV?
hsl(251, 31%, 73%) and hsv(251, 21%, 81%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #aca4cf a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3983 and perceived brightness is 67%, so black text on it reaches 8.97:1.
Should I use black or white text on #aca4cf?
Black. It scores 8.97:1 against #aca4cf, versus 2.34:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #aca4cf accessible on a white background?
#aca4cf on white scores 2.34:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #786BB1 to reach 4.5:1, or #5A4D92 for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #aca4cf?
#C7CFA4 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #CFC1A4 and #B1CFA4, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #aca4cf?
For interface work: #F6F5FA as the surface, #CECAE3 for borders, #5D4F96 for secondary text, #8A8642 as an accent and #332C53 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #A4B1CF and #C1A4CF stays calm, while #C7CFA4 is the loudest partner.
What is #aca4cf in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(17%, 21%, 0%, 19%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #aca4cf warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 74 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #BCA4CF; nudged cooler, #A2ABD0.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #aca4cf?
The slate family — its 500 step is #64748b, ΔE2000 21.8 away. That is a visible difference, so define #aca4cf as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #aca4cf in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#aca4cf] or text-[#aca4cf], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #aca4cf with 50% opacity?
rgba(172, 164, 207, 0.5), or #aca4cf80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #D6D2E7; over black, #565268.
Is #aca4cf a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #9999CC, ΔE2000 5.1 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #aca4cf mean?
As a blue, it reads trusted, calm, competent. The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed. At this moderate chroma the association is present but not shouted.
What gradient works with #aca4cf?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #D0CCE4, #aca4cf 45%, #332C53). For more colour, a short hue run to #C190C4 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #aca4cf in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #aca4cf at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.