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Lime Silk Muted
Color detail

Lime Silk Muted

Lime · Hue 90
Hex
#ADBC9F
RGB
rgb(173, 188, 159)
HSL
hsl(90, 18%, 68%)
CMYK
cmyk(8%, 0%, 15%, 26%)
Metrics
S 18% · L 68%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
2:1Fail
on black
10.5:1AA
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Lime Silk Muted (#ADBC9F) belongs to the lime family — hue 90°, 18% 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-muted: #ADBC9F;
  --colorarchive-lime-silk-muted-hsl: hsl(90, 18%, 68%);
  --colorarchive-lime-silk-muted-rgb: rgb(173, 188, 159);
}

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 #ADBC9F.

  • Starbucksneutral
    Warm Neutral · #D4E9E2
    →
  • Glossierprimary
    Glossier Pink · #F8D6CD
    →
  • Aesopneutral
    Cream Paper · #EFE4D2
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #ADBC9F.

  • China (Traditional)Celadon (青瓷)
    #9CB48F · Song Dynasty Longquan kilns
    →
  • ScandinaviaAsh Grey
    #A8AAA5 · Birch and ash bark
    →
  • 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 Muted
#C2CDB7 · hsl(90, 18%, 76%)
Darker companion
Lime Tone Muted
#99AB87 · hsl(90, 18%, 60%)
Complementary counterpoint
Plum Silk Muted
#AD9FBC · hsl(270, 18%, 68%)
Analogous lead
Clover Silk Muted
#A1BC9F · hsl(115, 18%, 68%)
Analogous echo
Honey Silk Muted
#B7BC9F · hsl(70, 18%, 68%)
Triadic +120°
Sapphire Silk Muted
#9FADBC · hsl(210, 18%, 68%)
Triadic +240°
Blush Silk Muted
#BC9FAD · hsl(330, 18%, 68%)
Split-comp +150°
Iris Silk Muted
#9F9FBC · hsl(240, 18%, 68%)
Split-comp +210°
Fuchsia Silk Muted
#BC9FBC · hsl(300, 18%, 68%)
Export preview
Base: Lime Silk Muted #ADBC9F
Lighter companion: Lime Bloom Muted #C2CDB7
Darker companion: Lime Tone Muted #99AB87
Complementary counterpoint: Plum Silk Muted #AD9FBC
Analogous lead: Clover Silk Muted #A1BC9F
Analogous echo: Honey Silk Muted #B7BC9F
Triadic +120°: Sapphire Silk Muted #9FADBC
Triadic +240°: Blush Silk Muted #BC9FAD
Split-comp +150°: Iris Silk Muted #9F9FBC
Split-comp +210°: Fuchsia Silk Muted #BC9FBC

Compare

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

vsLime Bloom MutedvsLime Tone MutedvsPlum Silk MutedvsClover Silk MutedvsHoney Silk MutedvsSapphire Silk Muted

Nearest neighbors

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

Search by hex
Nearby match
Lime Silk Faint
#ADB6A5 · hsl(90, 10%, 68%)
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%)
Nearby match
Lime Silk Soft
#ADC992 · hsl(90, 34%, 68%)
Nearby match
Lime Tone Faint
#99A38F · hsl(90, 10%, 60%)

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
AAA7:1
Plum Nocturne Dust
#332640
AAA7.2:1
Plum Nocturne Soft
#332244
AAA7.6:1
Plum Nocturne Clear
#33174F
AAA7.8:1
Plum Nocturne Vivid
#330D59
AAA7.8:1
Plum Nocturne Bright
#33085E
AAA7.8:1
Plum Nocturne Pure
#330462

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#B3B2A8
Protanopia
#B4B4A7
Tritanopia
#AEACAE
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