#dfe6ec
a pale, soft blue · cool · closest name: Alice Blue
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #dfe6ec is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #dfe6ec |
| RGB | rgb(223, 230, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(208, 26%, 90%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(6%, 3%, 0%, 8%) |
| LAB | lab(90.9 -1.2 -3.7) |
| LCH | lch(90.9 3.9 251.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.921 0.011 243.7) |
| Decimal | 14673644 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.875 0.902 0.925) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #dfe6ec;
background-color: #dfe6ec;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#dfe6ec] bg-[#dfe6ec]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #dfe6ec;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.875, green: 0.902, blue: 0.925)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#dfe6ec")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDFE6EC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(236, 230, 223)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #dfe6ec is pinned to step 200; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F6F7F9;
--brand-100: #EDF0F3;
--brand-200: #dfe6ec;
--brand-300: #B9C8D5;
--brand-400: #95ACC0;
--brand-500: #7291AB;
--brand-600: #5B7D9A;
--brand-700: #4C6880;
--brand-800: #3D5366;
--brand-900: #2F3E4C;
--brand-950: #1D272F;
--brand: #dfe6ec;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #dfe6ec
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.
How to use #dfe6ec
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
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 | #ECE5DF | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #DFECEC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #DFDFEC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #ECDFDF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #ECECDF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #ECDFE6 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #E6ECDF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #ECDFEC | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#dfe6ec text on a black background
contrast 16.67:1
#dfe6ec text on a white background
contrast 1.26:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #dfe6ec;
background-color: #dfe6ec;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #dfe6ec;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(223, 230, 236, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(223, 230, 236, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #dfe6ec; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dfe6ec, #E1DFEC);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #dfe6ec
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
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: Gainsboro (#dcdcdc) — ΔE2000 4.3 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#dfe6ec in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Very light tints can drop out on uncoated stock; check it at 100% size before signing off.
#dfe6ec, answered
What color is #dfe6ec?
#dfe6ec is a pale soft blue, closest to Alice Blue (ΔE2000 3.8). It sits at 208° on the hue wheel with 26% saturation and 90% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #dfe6ec?
rgb(223, 230, 236) — 223 red, 230 green and 236 blue out of 255, or 87.5% / 90.2% / 92.5% by channel.
Is #dfe6ec a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.7834 and perceived brightness is 90%, so black text on it reaches 16.67:1.
Should I use black or white text on #dfe6ec?
Black. It scores 16.67:1 against #dfe6ec, versus 1.26:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #dfe6ec?
#ECE5DF sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #ECDFDF and #ECECDF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #dfe6ec?
For interface work: #F5F7F9 as the surface, #CCD7E1 for borders, #557590 for secondary text, #845448 as an accent and #2F4150 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DFECEC and #DFDFEC stays calm, while #ECE5DF is the loudest partner.
What is #dfe6ec in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(6%, 3%, 0%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #dfe6ec warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 86 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DFE1EC; nudged cooler, #CED8E3.