#dfe3ec
a pale, soft blue · cool · closest name: Gainsboro
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #dfe3ec 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 | #dfe3ec |
| RGB | rgb(223, 227, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(222, 26%, 90%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(6%, 4%, 0%, 8%) |
| LAB | lab(90.2 0.3 -4.8) |
| LCH | lch(90.2 4.8 273.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.915 0.013 266.7) |
| Decimal | 14672876 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.875 0.890 0.925) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #dfe3ec;
background-color: #dfe3ec;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#dfe3ec] bg-[#dfe3ec]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #dfe3ec;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.875, green: 0.890, blue: 0.925)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#dfe3ec")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDFE3EC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(236, 227, 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. #dfe3ec 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: #EDEFF3;
--brand-200: #dfe3ec;
--brand-300: #B9C1D5;
--brand-400: #95A3C0;
--brand-500: #7284AB;
--brand-600: #5B6E9A;
--brand-700: #4C5C80;
--brand-800: #3D4A66;
--brand-900: #2F384C;
--brand-950: #1D232F;
--brand: #dfe3ec;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #dfe3ec
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 #dfe3ec
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 | #ECE8DF | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #DFEAEC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #E1DFEC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #ECE1DF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #EAECDF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #ECDFE3 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #E3ECDF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #ECDFEA | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#dfe3ec text on a black background
contrast 16.34:1
#dfe3ec text on a white background
contrast 1.29:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #dfe3ec;
background-color: #dfe3ec;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #dfe3ec;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(223, 227, 236, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(223, 227, 236, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #dfe3ec; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dfe3ec, #E4DFEC);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #dfe3ec
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 4.6 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#dfe3ec 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.
#dfe3ec, answered
What color is #dfe3ec?
#dfe3ec is a pale soft blue, closest to Gainsboro (ΔE2000 4.6). It sits at 222° on the hue wheel with 26% saturation and 90% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #dfe3ec?
rgb(223, 227, 236) — 223 red, 227 green and 236 blue out of 255, or 87.5% / 89% / 92.5% by channel.
Is #dfe3ec a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.7668 and perceived brightness is 89%, so black text on it reaches 16.34:1.
Should I use black or white text on #dfe3ec?
Black. It scores 16.34:1 against #dfe3ec, versus 1.29:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #dfe3ec?
#ECE8DF sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #ECE1DF and #EAECDF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #dfe3ec?
For interface work: #F5F7F9 as the surface, #CCD2E1 for borders, #556890 for secondary text, #846448 as an accent and #2F3A50 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DFEAEC and #E1DFEC stays calm, while #ECE8DF is the loudest partner.
What is #dfe3ec in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(6%, 4%, 0%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #dfe3ec warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 82 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #E0DFEC; nudged cooler, #DEE5ED.