#556B6B
Closest named color: Slate (#516572). oklch(51% 0.026 196.4), rgb(85, 107, 107).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (5.67:1).
About this color
#556B6B is a medium-dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 51%, its chroma 0.026. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Slate (#516572), ΔE 0.025 away. White text reads best on it, at 5.67:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-dark (51%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.026) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Slate (#516572) |
| Black text | 3.70:1 |
| White text | 5.67:1 |
Values
| HEX | #556B6B |
| RGB | rgb(85, 107, 107) |
| HSL | hsl(180, 11%, 38%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(51% 0.026 196.4) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #556B6B | 5.67:1 | AA | Lc -83.6 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #556B6B | 3.70:1 | AA large text | Lc 25.7 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #556B6B text on white | 5.67:1 | AA | Lc 78.4 | Fine for body text |
| #556B6B text on black | 3.70:1 | AA large text | Lc -23.4 | Dividers and decoration only |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 700.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F6F6
oklch(97.2% 0.002 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EBEA
oklch(93.7% 0.004 179.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D4DBDA
oklch(88.6% 0.008 186.9)
-
Step 300
300
#B8C3C3
oklch(80.9% 0.012 196.9)
-
Step 400
400
#93A5A5
oklch(70.8% 0.02 196.7)
-
Step 500
500
#788F8F
oklch(63.2% 0.026 196.5)
-
Step 600
600
#617979
oklch(55.7% 0.028 196.4)
-
Step 700
700 (this color)
#556B6B
oklch(51% 0.026 196.4)
-
Step 800
800
#415353
oklch(42.7% 0.022 196.3)
-
Step 900
900
#374544
oklch(37.8% 0.018 191.1)
-
Step 950
950
#212828
oklch(27% 0.01 196.6)
#556B6B with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #68696B | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #64656B | 0.027 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #4E6C6B | 0.009 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #676767 | 0.026 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #556B6B
#556B6B
oklch(51% 0.026 196.4)
- #746061
#746061
oklch(50.9% 0.026 14.6)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #556B6B, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Slate #516572 ΔE 0.025
- Dim Gray #696969 ΔE 0.028
- Battleship Gray #6C757D ΔE 0.051
- Metallic Blue #4F738E ΔE 0.053
- Deep Turquoise #017374 ΔE 0.060
- Dark Aquamarine #017371 ΔE 0.060
- Deep Aqua #08787F ΔE 0.062
- Dark Aqua #05696B ΔE 0.065
Use #556B6B in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.