Palettes / Colors / #DFE4EA
#DFE4EA — Pale Dusty Blue
#DFE4EA is a blue color we call Pale Dusty Blue, closest to the named color Gainsboro (#DCDCDC). It belongs to the blue family.
Color name
Closest CSS keyword: gainsboro (#DCDCDC) — not an exact match. CSS gainsboro gives you #DCDCDC, a different color; use #DFE4EA when you need this exact shade.
Sources: common names follow widely used color-name references; CSS keywords and their hex values follow the CSS Color specification.
#DFE4EA is a cool blue color associated with trust, calm and professionalism. It is light enough to work as a background or base color, with darker text on top.
Its strongest partner is its complement #EBE6E0; it also sits naturally between #E0EAEB and #E1E0EB. In the palettes below you can see it working alongside real color combinations from our collection.
Color values
| HEX | #DFE4EA |
|---|---|
| RGB | 223, 228, 234 |
| HSL | 213°, 21%, 90% |
| HSV | 213°, 5%, 92% |
| CMYK | 5%, 3%, 0%, 8% |
| XYZ | 73.03, 77.12, 88.88 |
| Yxy | 77.12, 0.3055, 0.3226 |
| CIE-Lab | 90.37, -0.56, -3.51 |
| Hunter Lab | 87.82, -0.56, -3.44 |
RGB & CMYK percentages
Red 87% · Green 89% · Blue 92%
Cyan 5% · Magenta 3% · Yellow 0% · Key 8%
CMYK values are unprofiled approximations for screen reference — not a print-proofing guarantee.
Previews
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
CSS code for #DFE4EA
.text { color: #DFE4EA; }
.background { background-color: #DFE4EA; }
.border { border: 3px solid #DFE4EA; }
.text-rgb { color: rgb(223, 228, 234); }
.text-hsl { color: hsl(213, 21%, 90%); }
.text-shadow-hex { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px #DFE4EA; }
.text-shadow-rgba { text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px rgba(223, 228, 234, 0.8); }
.box-shadow-hex { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px #DFE4EA; }
.box-shadow-rgba { box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px 2px rgba(223, 228, 234, 0.8); }
HTML: <p style="color:#DFE4EA">Text here</p> · <div style="background-color:#DFE4EA">Div content here</div>
Shades of #DFE4EA
Tints of #DFE4EA
Tones of #DFE4EA
Color harmonies
Complementary — #EBE6E0:
Analogous:
Triadic:
Contrast & accessibility
| Against white text | 1.28:1 Fails |
|---|---|
| Against black text | 16.42:1 AAA |
Best text color on #DFE4EA: #000000.
Semi-transparent (opacity) text on #DFE4EA
Text set with opacity blends into the background, so its real contrast is lower than the solid ratios above. Choose a text color and an opacity to see the blended color and its true ratio:
Smaller body text shows the effect best.
Blended color: · Contrast against #DFE4EA: ·
How #DFE4EA looks with color blindness
Simulated with standard Machado color-vision-deficiency matrices — useful when this color carries meaning in charts, maps or interfaces:
Closest design-system colors
The nearest matches in the Tailwind CSS, Material Design and Bootstrap palettes — handy when you need a framework class instead of a raw hex:
Palettes with a similar color
These palettes use a close neighbour of #DFE4EA rather than the exact color:
Similar colors
The closest colors that actually appear in our palette collection — click any to open its page:
Browse neighbouring colors
Frequently asked questions
What color is #DFE4EA?
#DFE4EA is Pale Dusty Blue, a blue color (RGB 223, 228, 234). Its closest standard named color is Gainsboro.
What is the RGB and HSL of #DFE4EA?
#DFE4EA is RGB 223, 228, 234 — HSL 213°, 21%, 90% — CMYK 5%, 3%, 0%, 8%.
What colors go with #DFE4EA?
Its complement is #EBE6E0; analogous partners are #E0EAEB and #E1E0EB. It also appears in 6+ palettes in our collection.
Can I use #DFE4EA for text?
Black text on #DFE4EA has a contrast ratio of 16.42:1 (passes WCAG AA); white text gives 1.28:1.