#ADB8A9
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(77% 0.024 137.3), rgb(173, 184, 169).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.20:1).
About this color
#ADB8A9 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.024. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.20:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.024) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.20:1 |
| White text | 2.05:1 |
Values
| HEX | #ADB8A9 |
| RGB | rgb(173, 184, 169) |
| HSL | hsl(104, 10%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.024 137.3) |
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 #ADB8A9 | 2.05:1 | Fails | Lc -44.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #ADB8A9 | 10.20:1 | AAA | Lc 63.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #ADB8A9 text on white | 2.05:1 | Fails | Lc 40.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #ADB8A9 text on black | 10.20:1 | AAA | Lc -62.2 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F6F4
oklch(97.1% 0.003 145.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E8EBE6
oklch(93.6% 0.007 132.4)
-
Step 200
200
#D5DBD3
oklch(88.5% 0.013 137.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#ADB8A9
oklch(77% 0.024 137.3)
-
Step 400
400
#95A78F
oklch(70.7% 0.04 137.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7B9173
oklch(63.1% 0.051 137.4)
-
Step 600
600
#647B5C
oklch(55.6% 0.054 137.7)
-
Step 700
700
#53684C
oklch(49.2% 0.05 138)
-
Step 800
800
#44553E
oklch(42.8% 0.043 137.6)
-
Step 900
900
#394635
oklch(37.7% 0.033 138.4)
-
Step 950
950
#22291F
oklch(27.1% 0.021 136.3)
#ADB8A9 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) | #B9B5A8 | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B7B4AA | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #ADB7B4 | 0.017 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B5B5B5 | 0.025 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #ADB8A9
#ADB8A9
oklch(77% 0.024 137.3)
- #BBB0BF
#BBB0BF
oklch(77.1% 0.024 317.1)
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 #ADB8A9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.032
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.042
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.044
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.045
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.048
- Bland #AFA88B ΔE 0.049
- Muted Teal #90B494 ΔE 0.051
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.051
Use #ADB8A9 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.