#B2B8AE
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(77.5% 0.015 132.5), rgb(178, 184, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.36:1).
About this color
#B2B8AE is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.015. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.36:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.015) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.36:1 |
| White text | 2.02:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B2B8AE |
| RGB | rgb(178, 184, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(96, 7%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.5% 0.015 132.5) |
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 #B2B8AE | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc -43.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B2B8AE | 10.36:1 | AAA | Lc 64.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B2B8AE text on white | 2.02:1 | Fails | Lc 39.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B2B8AE text on black | 10.36:1 | AAA | Lc -62.9 | 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
#F5F6F4
oklch(97.2% 0.003 128.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAE7
oklch(93.5% 0.004 121.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D7DAD5
oklch(88.5% 0.007 132.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B2B8AE
oklch(77.5% 0.015 132.5)
-
Step 400
400
#9BA494
oklch(70.7% 0.025 131.2)
-
Step 500
500
#828E7A
oklch(63.1% 0.032 132.8)
-
Step 600
600
#6C7863
oklch(55.6% 0.035 131.8)
-
Step 700
700
#5A6552
oklch(49.2% 0.032 132.1)
-
Step 800
800
#495243
oklch(42.6% 0.027 132.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3D4439
oklch(37.7% 0.021 134.1)
-
Step 950
950
#242821
oklch(27% 0.014 131.7)
#B2B8AE 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) | #B9B6AD | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B8B6AE | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2B7B5 | 0.011 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B6B6B6 | 0.016 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B2B8AE
#B2B8AE
oklch(77.5% 0.015 132.5)
- #B9B3BD
#B9B3BD
oklch(77.5% 0.015 312.2)
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 #B2B8AE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.026
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.036
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.041
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.043
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.047
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.049
- Bland #AFA88B ΔE 0.054
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.055
Use #B2B8AE 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.