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Lime Silk Faint
Color detail

Lime Silk Faint

Lime · Hue 90
Hex
#ADB6A5
RGB
rgb(173, 182, 165)
HSL
hsl(90, 10%, 68%)
CMYK
cmyk(5%, 0%, 9%, 29%)
Metrics
S 10% · L 68%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
2.1:1Fail
on black
10:1AA
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Lime Silk Faint (#ADB6A5) belongs to the lime family — hue 90°, 10% saturation, 68% lightness. Copy the hex, RGB, or HSL value above, or paste the CSS custom property below into your stylesheet to reference this color directly.

CSS
:root {
  --colorarchive-lime-silk-faint: #ADB6A5;
  --colorarchive-lime-silk-faint-hsl: hsl(90, 10%, 68%);
  --colorarchive-lime-silk-faint-rgb: rgb(173, 182, 165);
}

AI Color Names

Let AI suggest alternative poetic names for this color in English and Chinese.

Design Context

FreshNaturalInvigorating
Common in

Juice & Smoothie Brands · Eco Products · Fitness

Pairs well with

White for cleanliness, soft pink for playful contrast

Design tip

Use for wellness and eco-friendly brands. Light lime as a background creates an airy, energizing feel.

Cultural context ▶

Light lime represents freshness, vitality, and new growth. Common in spring-themed and health-focused design.

Color Origins

Lime family

Half spring leaf, half pop-art neon.

Heritage

Lime — the yellow-green region of the spectrum — has no classical pigment of its own; painters historically achieved it by mixing yellow ochre with terre verte or lead-tin yellow with verdigris. The brilliant phthalo greens and arylide yellows of the 20th century made saturated lime achievable for the first time, which is why lime feels visually 'modern' even though grass and leaves have always lived there.

Across cultures

In Japan, the moss greens of traditional gardens (yamabuki, moegi) sit at the muted edge of lime. In American pop culture lime exploded with the 1960s — the 'Day-Glo' palette of psychedelic posters depended on it, and Mountain Dew commercialized it. In sportswear lime carries 'high-visibility' connotations (running gear, safety vests) that have lately come back into fashion as a deliberate aesthetic.

In the wild

Tennis balls have been lime-yellow ('optic yellow') since 1972, when Wimbledon found it most visible on color TV. Spotify's #1DB954 and the Xbox brand green both sit at the lime end. Lacoste and BP both run on saturated lime greens. Mountain Dew owns the brilliant supersaturated lime in beverage. In film, The Matrix's coded rain is lime-on-black — the choice was originally about the look of phosphor CRT terminals.

How it reads

Lime is the youngest-feeling green: it reads as fresh, citric, energetic, and slightly synthetic. At low saturation it becomes olive or moss, both heavily associated with craft, sustainability, and slow design. At high saturation it reads as sport, beverage, or technology. Lime is one of the harder hues to use as a primary brand color without trending toward 'energy drink' — many brands therefore use it as an accent against deep neutrals.

This particular tone

A grounded mid-tone — sober, considered, well-suited to body text accents, editorial layouts, or any context where restraint reads as quality.

Lightness band: At mid-lightness the hue carries its full character. This is the band where most identity colors live: bright enough to be distinctive at small sizes, deep enough to sit cleanly on a white canvas.

Saturation band: The low saturation pulls this color toward earthen, vintage, or editorial palettes. It reads as confident and grown-up rather than playful, and it tolerates being used in large blocks without becoming visually noisy.

Brands using a similar color

Within the public brand-guidelines reference catalog, these are the closest matches to #ADB6A5.

  • Starbucksneutral
    Warm Neutral · #D4E9E2
    →
  • Glossierprimary
    Glossier Pink · #F8D6CD
    →
  • Redditsecondary
    Periwinkle · #7193FF
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #ADB6A5.

  • ScandinaviaAsh Grey
    #A8AAA5 · Birch and ash bark
    →
  • China (Traditional)Celadon (青瓷)
    #9CB48F · Song Dynasty Longquan kilns
    →
  • Greece (Aegean)Olive Silver
    #9CA38F · Olea europaea leaf undersides
    →

Tonal strip

All lightness levels at this hue and saturation. Click any to navigate.

Palette moves

Instead of stopping at one swatch, use nearby, opposite, and tonal neighbors to branch into a broader palette.

Lighter companion
Lime Bloom Faint
#C2C8BC · hsl(90, 10%, 76%)
Darker companion
Lime Tone Faint
#99A38F · hsl(90, 10%, 60%)
Complementary counterpoint
Plum Silk Faint
#ADA5B6 · hsl(270, 10%, 68%)
Analogous lead
Clover Silk Faint
#A7B6A5 · hsl(115, 10%, 68%)
Analogous echo
Honey Silk Faint
#B3B6A5 · hsl(70, 10%, 68%)
Triadic +120°
Sapphire Silk Faint
#A5ADB6 · hsl(210, 10%, 68%)
Triadic +240°
Blush Silk Faint
#B6A5AD · hsl(330, 10%, 68%)
Split-comp +150°
Iris Silk Faint
#A5A5B6 · hsl(240, 10%, 68%)
Split-comp +210°
Fuchsia Silk Faint
#B6A5B6 · hsl(300, 10%, 68%)
Export preview
Base: Lime Silk Faint #ADB6A5
Lighter companion: Lime Bloom Faint #C2C8BC
Darker companion: Lime Tone Faint #99A38F
Complementary counterpoint: Plum Silk Faint #ADA5B6
Analogous lead: Clover Silk Faint #A7B6A5
Analogous echo: Honey Silk Faint #B3B6A5
Triadic +120°: Sapphire Silk Faint #A5ADB6
Triadic +240°: Blush Silk Faint #B6A5AD
Split-comp +150°: Iris Silk Faint #A5A5B6
Split-comp +210°: Fuchsia Silk Faint #B6A5B6

Compare

See how Lime Silk Faint compares side by side with related colors.

vsLime Bloom FaintvsLime Tone FaintvsPlum Silk FaintvsClover Silk FaintvsHoney Silk FaintvsSapphire Silk Faint

Nearest neighbors

The closest archive matches by hue, saturation, and lightness.

Search by hex
Nearby match
Lime Silk Muted
#ADBC9F · hsl(90, 18%, 68%)
Nearby match
Lime Tone Faint
#99A38F · hsl(90, 10%, 60%)
Nearby match
Lime Bloom Faint
#C2C8BC · hsl(90, 10%, 76%)
Nearby match
Lime Silk Dust
#ADC398 · hsl(90, 26%, 68%)
Nearby match
Lime Tone Muted
#99AB87 · hsl(90, 18%, 60%)
Nearby match
Lime Bloom Muted
#C2CDB7 · hsl(90, 18%, 76%)

Accessible pairings

Archive colors that meet WCAG contrast standards when paired with this color. Use as text-on-background or background-on-text.

Contrast checker
AAA7.3:1
Plum Nocturne Clear
#33174F
AAA7.5:1
Plum Nocturne Vivid
#330D59
AAA7.5:1
Plum Nocturne Bright
#33085E
AAA7.5:1
Plum Nocturne Pure
#330462
AAA7.6:1
Plum Ink Faint
#242027
AAA7.8:1
Plum Ink Muted
#241D2A

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#B0B0AA
Protanopia
#B1B1A9
Tritanopia
#ADADAD
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