#cdb5bc
a light, soft magenta / pink · warm · closest name: Thistle
Token name suggestion: Morning Blossom
#cdb5bc is a light soft magenta / pink, 343° on the wheel and 37/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (10.93:1). As text it scores 1.92:1 on white — use #9A6977 instead. Nearest name is Thistle, nearest Tailwind family is stone.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #cdb5bc 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 #cdb5bc.
Reads warm. 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 | #cdb5bc |
| HEX (8-digit) | #cdb5bcff |
| RGB | rgb(205, 181, 188) |
| RGBA | rgba(205, 181, 188, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(343, 19%, 76%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(343, 12%, 80%) |
| HWB | hwb(343 71% 20%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 12%, 8%, 20%) |
| LAB | lab(75.9 9.8 -0.4) |
| LCH | lch(75.9 9.8 357.7) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.796 0.029 358.2) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(50.78, 49.66, 54.48) |
| Decimal | 13481404 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.804 0.710 0.737) |
| Web-safe | #CCCCCC |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #cdb5bc;
background-color: #cdb5bc;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #cdb5bc;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#cdb5bc] bg-[#cdb5bc]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #cdb5bc;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.804, green: 0.710, blue: 0.737)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.804, green: 0.710, blue: 0.737, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#CDB5BC</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFCDB5BC)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFCDB5BC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(188, 181, 205)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(205, 181, 188)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(205, 181, 188)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 205, 181, 188)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.8039f, 0.7098f, 0.7373f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{205,181,188}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #cdb5bc 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #cdb5bc 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#4C333B, #E6DADE); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #cdb5bc h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F9F6F7;
--brand-100: #F2EDEF;
--brand-200: #E4D8DB;
--brand-300: #cdb5bc;
--brand-400: #BB9BA4;
--brand-500: #A57986;
--brand-600: #926371;
--brand-700: #7A525E;
--brand-800: #61424B;
--brand-900: #483239;
--brand-950: #2D1F23;
--brand: #cdb5bc;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #F9F6F7;
--brand-border: #DECED3;
--brand-hover: #BFA0A9;
--brand-pressed: #B08A95;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #21171A;
--brand-ink: #E6DADE;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F9F6F7',
100: '#F2EDEF',
200: '#E4D8DB',
300: '#cdb5bc',
400: '#BB9BA4',
500: '#A57986',
600: '#926371',
700: '#7A525E',
800: '#61424B',
900: '#483239',
950: '#2D1F23',
DEFAULT: '#cdb5bc',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F9F6F7,
'100': #F2EDEF,
'200': #E4D8DB,
'300': #cdb5bc,
'400': #BB9BA4,
'500': #A57986,
'600': #926371,
'700': #7A525E,
'800': #61424B,
'900': #483239,
'950': #2D1F23,
);
$brand-base: #cdb5bc;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F9F6F7", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#F2EDEF", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#E4D8DB", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#cdb5bc", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#BB9BA4", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#A57986", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#926371", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#7A525E", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#61424B", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#483239", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#2D1F23", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$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 #B08A95 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: #cdb5bc as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #cdb5bc.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 1.92:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 1.84:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 1.75:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 1.56:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.29:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.33:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 2.48:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 3.94:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 5.39:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 7.61:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 9.29:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 10.93:1 | 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. #cdb5bc 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 0.007 358.2);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.012 358.2);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.017 358.2);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.023 358.2);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.027 358.2);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.029 358.2);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.029 358.2);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.027 358.2);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.024 358.2);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.020 358.2);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.016 358.2);
}Colors that work with #cdb5bc
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 #cdb5bc
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.
Pink is the fastest way to signal that a product is not another enterprise dashboard. It carries beauty, fashion and culture brands.
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.
Strong gendered associations in some markets — test it with the audience you actually have.
- FormalityMedium
- EnergyMedium
- Weight24/100
- TemperatureWarm
- ApproachabilityHigh
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 | #B5CDC6 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #CDB5C8 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #CDBAB5 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #B5CDBA | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #B5C8CD | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #BCCDB5 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #B5BCCD | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #C8CDB5 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#cdb5bc sits at 343°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 40%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#cdb5bc text on a black background
contrast 10.93:1
#cdb5bc text on a white background
contrast 1.92:1
#cdb5bc on grey
1.75:1
#cdb5bc on its own surface
1.79:1
#cdb5bc on its dark surface
9.09:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #cdb5bc;
background-color: #cdb5bc;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #cdb5bc;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(205, 181, 188, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(205, 181, 188, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #cdb5bc; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #cdb5bc, #CDBEB5);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #cdb5bc, #CDC4B5); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #cdb5bc; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #cdb5bc; caret-color: #cdb5bc;
border-left: 4px solid #cdb5bc;
background: #F5F0F1; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #cdb5bc;
background: conic-gradient(#cdb5bc 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #cdb5bc 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(205, 181, 188, 0.5) rgb(205 181 188 / 50%) #cdb5bc80 hsl(343 19% 76% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #cdb5bc 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #cdb5bc1a | #FAF8F8 |
| 20% | #cdb5bc33 | #F5F0F2 |
| 40% | #cdb5bc66 | #EBE1E4 |
| 60% | #cdb5bc99 | #E1D3D7 |
| 80% | #cdb5bccc | #D7C4C9 |
Gradients from #cdb5bc
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E6DADD, #cdb5bc 45%, #4C333B);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #cdb5bc, #C1B0A3);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #cdb5bc, #B5CDC6);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #F2ECEE 0%, #cdb5bc 45%, #4C333B 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F9F6F7, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #E2D3E0 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D9CDC7 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #4C333B 0%, transparent 65%), #cdb5bc;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #cdb5bc
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: Thistle (#d8bfd8) — ΔE2000 7.2 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#cdb5bc 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 10.93:1.
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.
#cdb5bc, answered
What color is #cdb5bc?
#cdb5bc is a light soft magenta / pink, closest to Thistle (ΔE2000 7.2). It sits at 343° on the hue wheel with 19% saturation and 76% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #cdb5bc?
rgb(205, 181, 188) — 205 red, 181 green and 188 blue out of 255, or 80.4% / 71% / 73.7% by channel.
What is #cdb5bc in HSL and HSV?
hsl(343, 19%, 76%) and hsv(343, 12%, 80%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #cdb5bc a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4966 and perceived brightness is 74%, so black text on it reaches 10.93:1.
Should I use black or white text on #cdb5bc?
Black. It scores 10.93:1 against #cdb5bc, versus 1.92:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #cdb5bc accessible on a white background?
#cdb5bc on white scores 1.92:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #9A6977 to reach 4.5:1, or #734D58 for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #cdb5bc?
#B5CDC6 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #B5CDBA and #B5C8CD, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #cdb5bc?
For interface work: #F9F6F7 as the surface, #DECED3 for borders, #895C69 for secondary text, #4E7E64 as an accent and #4C333B for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #CDB5C8 and #CDBAB5 stays calm, while #B5CDC6 is the loudest partner.
What is #cdb5bc in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 12%, 8%, 20%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #cdb5bc warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 37 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #CDB7B5; nudged cooler, #CEB4C5.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #cdb5bc?
The stone family — its 500 step is #78716c, ΔE2000 25.7 away. That is a visible difference, so define #cdb5bc as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #cdb5bc in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#cdb5bc] or text-[#cdb5bc], 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 #cdb5bc with 50% opacity?
rgba(205, 181, 188, 0.5), or #cdb5bc80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #E6DADE; over black, #675B5E.
Is #cdb5bc a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CCCCCC, ΔE2000 11.8 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #cdb5bc mean?
As a magenta / pink, it reads expressive, youthful, warm. Pink is the fastest way to signal that a product is not another enterprise dashboard. It carries beauty, fashion and culture brands. At this moderate chroma the association is present but not shouted.
What gradient works with #cdb5bc?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E6DADD, #cdb5bc 45%, #4C333B). For more colour, a short hue run to #C1B0A3 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #cdb5bc in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #cdb5bc at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.