Color #96BBAE Color / Colour Code #96BBAE
This page shows the hex color code for color #96bbae (#96BBAE). The colour is a cyan tone with 21% saturation and 66% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #96BBAE against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#96BBAE paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 129, 159, and 189 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 159, 279, and 39 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #96BBAE
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 159 and saturation at 21%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 159 to 204 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 159 with its complement at 339 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #96BBAE
Lightness variations at hue 159 and 21% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #96BBAE
Design Use Cases for #96BBAE
Muted Accent Color
With 21% saturation, #96BBAE has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 66% lightness, #96BBAE has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Clarity & Technology
#96BBAE is in the cyan spectrum (hue 159). Cyan evokes technology, clarity, and innovation. It works well for tech product interfaces, data visualization accents, loading indicators, and futuristic design themes. Cyan provides a modern alternative to traditional blues.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #96BBAE (hue 159) to its complement at hue 339. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 189. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #96bbae, #bb96a3);
CSS Code for #96BBAE
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #96BBAE based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #96BBAE across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #96BBAE (#96BBAE)
#96BBAE is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 150 red, 187 green, and 174 blue. The green channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 159 degrees with 21% saturation and 66% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #96BBAE is 174/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 20% cyan, 0% magenta, 7% yellow, and 27% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #96BBAE against white is 2.10:1 and against black is 10.02:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 10.02:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #BB96A3 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #96BBAE. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #96BB9C and #96B5BB, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #96BBAE
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #96BBAE?
- #96BBAE is Color #96BBAE, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(150, 187, 174), HSL(159, 21%, 66%), and CMYK(20%, 0%, 7%, 27%). Its perceived brightness is 174/255.
- Is #96BBAE accessible for text?
- Against white, #96BBAE has a contrast ratio of 2.10:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 10.02:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #96BBAE?
- The complementary colour is #BB96A3 (hue 339). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #96BB9C and #96B5BB. The triadic palette adds #AE96BB and #BBAE96 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #96BBAE in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #96bbae; or rgb(150, 187, 174); or hsl(159, 21%, 66%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 159 21% 66%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.