#A8A0AE
Closest named color: Cool Steel (#97A7B3). oklch(71.7% 0.022 311), rgb(168, 160, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.30:1).
About this color
#A8A0AE is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 72%, its chroma 0.022. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cool Steel (#97A7B3), ΔE 0.028 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.30:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (72%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.022) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cool Steel (#97A7B3) |
| Black text | 8.30:1 |
| White text | 2.52:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A8A0AE |
| RGB | rgb(168, 160, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(274, 8%, 65%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(71.7% 0.022 311) |
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 #A8A0AE | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc -54.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A8A0AE | 8.30:1 | AAA | Lc 54.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A8A0AE text on white | 2.52:1 | Fails | Lc 49.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A8A0AE text on black | 8.30:1 | AAA | Lc -52.4 | 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
#F6F5F6
oklch(97.1% 0.002 325.6)
-
Step 100
100
#EBE9EC
oklch(93.6% 0.005 314.8)
-
Step 200
200
#DBD8DD
oklch(88.6% 0.007 312.3)
-
Step 300
300
#C3BEC7
oklch(80.8% 0.014 310.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A8A0AE
oklch(71.7% 0.022 311)
-
Step 500
500
#8F8596
oklch(63.1% 0.028 311.6)
-
Step 600
600
#796F81
oklch(55.7% 0.03 310.2)
-
Step 700
700
#665C6D
oklch(49% 0.029 311.4)
-
Step 800
800
#534C59
oklch(42.8% 0.023 309.5)
-
Step 900
900
#453F49
oklch(37.7% 0.019 312)
-
Step 950
950
#28252B
oklch(27% 0.012 308)
#A8A0AE 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 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A0A3AD | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A7A2A4 | 0.017 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A3A3A3 | 0.022 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A8A0AE
#A8A0AE
oklch(71.7% 0.022 311)
- #9FA799
#9FA799
oklch(71.8% 0.022 131.5)
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 #A8A0AE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.028
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.028
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.032
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.042
- Bluey Grey #89A0B0 ΔE 0.042
- Cool Gray #8D99AE ΔE 0.045
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.046
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.047
Use #A8A0AE 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.