Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind mist-400: #9CA8AB
In Tailwind CSS v4, mist-400 is defined as --color-mist-400: oklch(72.3% 0.014 214.4), which is #9CA8AB in hex and rgb(156, 168, 171): a light, grayish sky blue.
In OKLCH, mist-400 has a lightness of 72.3%, chroma 0.014 and hue 214.4°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #9CA8AB represents it without loss on any screen.
Tailwind mist is a tinted neutral added in v4.2: a cool gray with a slight blue-cyan cast. It has no v3 equivalent.
Color codes for mist-400
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-mist-400 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(72.3% 0.014 214.4) |
| HEX | #9CA8AB |
| RGB | rgb(156, 168, 171) |
| HSL | hsl(192, 8%, 64%) |
| HWB | hwb(192 61% 33%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(9%, 2%, 0%, 33%) |
| Decimal | 10,266,795 |
| Utility classes | bg-mist-400, text-mist-400, border-mist-400 |
Tailwind mist scale
Contrast and accessibility
On mist-400, black text has a contrast ratio of 8.60:1 and passes AAA at any text size; white text reaches 2.44:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on mist-400 | 8.60:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 55.9 |
| White text on mist-400 | 2.44:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | −53.1 |
| Mist-400 text on white | 2.44:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 48.1 |
| Mist-400 text on black | 8.60:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −53.9 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-mist-400) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-mist-400), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#a1acaf - 15%
#abb5b8 - 25%
#b5bec0 - 35%
#bfc6c8 - 45%
#c9cfd1 - 55%
#d2d8d9 - 65%
#dce1e2 - 75%
#e6e9ea - 85%
#f0f2f2 - 95%
#fafbfb
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#94a0a2 - 15%
#858f91 - 25%
#757e80 - 35%
#656d6f - 45%
#565c5e - 55%
#464c4d - 65%
#373b3c - 75%
#272a2b - 85%
#17191a - 95%
#080809
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, mist-400's complementary color is #AEA3A0 (close to darkgray), its analogous colors are #9CA9A6 and #9EA7AE, and its triadic partners are #ABA2A9 and #A8A69C. For text on top, black gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #aea3a0 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #9ca9a6#9ea7ae |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #aba2a9#a8a69c |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #aea2a4#aca49d |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind mist-400 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.014, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 192° hue gives it a slightly cool cast.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Nearest CSS named colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| darkgray | #a9a9a9 | 1.8 |
| rosybrown | #bc8f8f | 7.5 |
| darkseagreen | #8fbc8f | 8.1 |
Nearest Tailwind v4 colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| neutral-400 | #a1a1a1 | 2.1 |
| gray-400 | #99a1af | 2.3 |
| zinc-400 | #9f9fa9 | 2.5 |
Code snippets
<div class="bg-mist-400 text-black">...</div>
<p class="text-mist-400 border-mist-400">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-mist-400);
background-color: oklch(72.3% 0.014 214.4);
border-color: #9ca8ab;
outline-color: rgb(156 168 171);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let mist400 = Color(red: 0.612, green: 0.659, blue: 0.671)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Mist400 = Color(0xFF9CA8AB)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const mist400 = Color(0xFF9CA8AB);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="mist_400">#9CA8AB</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind mist-400?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, mist-400 is oklch(72.3% 0.014 214.4), which converts to #9CA8AB (rgb(156, 168, 171)) in sRGB.
- Is mist-400 available in Tailwind v3?
- No. The mist scale was added in Tailwind CSS v4.2. In v3 you can recreate it in tailwind.config.js under theme.extend.colors with the hex #9CA8AB.
- How do I use mist-400 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-mist-400). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on mist-400?
- White text on mist-400 has a contrast ratio of 2.44:1, which fails AA even for large text under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 8.60:1 and passes both AA and AAA. In APCA terms that is Lc −53.1 for white and Lc 55.9 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to mist-400?
- The closest is darkgray (#A9A9A9) at ΔE OK 1.8, followed by rosybrown and darkseagreen.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.