#A1A1AE
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.3% 0.019 285.9), rgb(161, 161, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.22:1).
About this color
#A1A1AE is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 71%, its chroma 0.019. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.22:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (71%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.019) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.22:1 |
| White text | 2.55:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A1A1AE |
| RGB | rgb(161, 161, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(240, 7%, 66%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.3% 0.019 285.9) |
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 #A1A1AE | 2.55:1 | Fails | Lc -55.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A1A1AE | 8.22:1 | AAA | Lc 54.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A1A1AE text on white | 2.55:1 | Fails | Lc 50.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A1A1AE text on black | 8.22:1 | AAA | Lc -51.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F5F6
oklch(97% 0.001 286.4)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E9EC
oklch(93.5% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D8D8DD
oklch(88.4% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 300
300
#C0C0C8
oklch(81% 0.011 286.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A1A1AE
oklch(71.3% 0.019 285.9)
-
Step 500
500
#888898
oklch(63.2% 0.024 285.7)
-
Step 600
600
#727182
oklch(55.5% 0.026 288.2)
-
Step 700
700
#5F5F6E
oklch(49.1% 0.024 285.5)
-
Step 800
800
#4E4E5A
oklch(42.8% 0.02 285.5)
-
Step 900
900
#41414A
oklch(37.9% 0.015 285.7)
-
Step 950
950
#26262B
oklch(27.1% 0.009 285.8)
#A1A1AE 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) | #9EA2AF | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9EA2AE | 0.005 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #9FA3A5 | 0.016 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A2A2A2 | 0.019 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A1A1AE
#A1A1AE
oklch(71.3% 0.019 285.9)
- #A4A396
#A4A396
oklch(71.3% 0.018 103.3)
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 #A1A1AE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.019
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.023
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.029
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.033
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.035
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.037
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.038
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.044
Use #A1A1AE 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.