Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind slate-300: #CAD5E2
In Tailwind CSS v4, slate-300 is defined as --color-slate-300: oklch(86.9% 0.022 252.894), which is #CAD5E2 in hex and rgb(202, 213, 226): a very light, grayish sky blue. In Tailwind v3, slate-300 was #CBD5E1.
In OKLCH, slate-300 has a lightness of 86.9%, chroma 0.022 and hue 252.9°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #CAD5E2 represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, slate-300 was #CBD5E1. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.2 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
Tailwind slate is the bluest of the gray scales, a cool gray that pairs well with blue and indigo accents.
Color codes for slate-300
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-slate-300 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(86.9% 0.022 252.894) |
| HEX | #CAD5E2 |
| RGB | rgb(202, 213, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(212, 29%, 84%) |
| HWB | hwb(212 79% 11%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(11%, 6%, 0%, 11%) |
| Decimal | 13,293,026 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #CBD5E1 |
| Utility classes | bg-slate-300, text-slate-300, border-slate-300 |
Tailwind slate scale
Contrast and accessibility
On slate-300, black text has a contrast ratio of 14.12:1 and passes AAA at any text size; white text reaches 1.48:1.
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 slate-300 | 14.12:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 80.8 |
| White text on slate-300 | 1.48:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | −26.0 |
| Slate-300 text on white | 1.48:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 22.9 |
| Slate-300 text on black | 14.12:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −80.3 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-slate-300) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-slate-300), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#cdd7e3 - 15%
#d2dbe6 - 25%
#d7e0e9 - 35%
#dde4ec - 45%
#e2e8ef - 55%
#e7ecf2 - 65%
#ecf0f5 - 75%
#f2f5f8 - 85%
#f7f9fb - 95%
#fcfdfe
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#c0cad7 - 15%
#acb5c0 - 25%
#98a0aa - 35%
#838a93 - 45%
#6f757c - 55%
#5b6066 - 65%
#474b4f - 75%
#333539 - 85%
#1e2022 - 95%
#0a0b0b
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, slate-300's complementary color is #DDD2C5 (close to lightgray), its analogous colors are #C5D7DF and #D1D2E2, and its triadic partners are #E2CED0 and #CED7C9. For text on top, black gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #ddd2c5 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #c5d7df#d1d2e2 |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #e2ced0#ced7c9 |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #e1d0c9#d6d5c5 |
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 slate-300 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.022, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 212° 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.
Code snippets
<div class="bg-slate-300 text-black">...</div>
<p class="text-slate-300 border-slate-300">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-slate-300);
background-color: oklch(86.9% 0.022 252.894);
border-color: #cad5e2;
outline-color: rgb(202 213 226);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let slate300 = Color(red: 0.792, green: 0.835, blue: 0.886)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Slate300 = Color(0xFFCAD5E2)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const slate300 = Color(0xFFCAD5E2);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="slate_300">#CAD5E2</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind slate-300?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, slate-300 is oklch(86.9% 0.022 252.894), which converts to #CAD5E2 (rgb(202, 213, 226)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #CBD5E1.
- What is the difference between slate-300 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #CBD5E1; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(86.9% 0.022 252.894). In v3, slate-300 was #CBD5E1. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.2 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
- How do I use slate-300 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-slate-300). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on slate-300?
- White text on slate-300 has a contrast ratio of 1.48:1, which fails AA even for large text under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 14.12:1 and passes both AA and AAA. In APCA terms that is Lc −26.0 for white and Lc 80.8 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to slate-300?
- The closest is lightgray (#D3D3D3) at ΔE OK 2.2, followed by gainsboro and lightblue.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.