#B5AEB9
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(76% 0.017 313.6), rgb(181, 174, 185).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.71:1).
About this color
#B5AEB9 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.017. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.71:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.017) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 9.71:1 |
| White text | 2.16:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5AEB9 |
| RGB | rgb(181, 174, 185) |
| HSL | hsl(278, 7%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76% 0.017 313.6) |
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 #B5AEB9 | 2.16:1 | Fails | Lc -47.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #B5AEB9 | 9.71:1 | AAA | Lc 61.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5AEB9 text on white | 2.16:1 | Fails | Lc 42.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5AEB9 text on black | 9.71:1 | AAA | Lc -59.7 | 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 300.
-
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
#DBD7DE
oklch(88.4% 0.01 311.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5AEB9
oklch(76% 0.017 313.6)
-
Step 400
400
#A79CAD
oklch(70.8% 0.027 313.9)
-
Step 500
500
#918399
oklch(63% 0.036 313.4)
-
Step 600
600
#7B6D84
oklch(55.6% 0.039 312.2)
-
Step 700
700
#685B6F
oklch(49.1% 0.035 313.8)
-
Step 800
800
#554A5B
oklch(42.6% 0.031 313.7)
-
Step 900
900
#463E4A
oklch(37.7% 0.023 314.5)
-
Step 950
950
#29242C
oklch(26.9% 0.016 312.9)
#B5AEB9 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) | #ADB0BA | 0.012 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AEB1B9 | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B5AFB1 | 0.013 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B0B0B0 | 0.018 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5AEB9
#B5AEB9
oklch(76% 0.017 313.6)
- #ADB4A9
#ADB4A9
oklch(76.1% 0.017 133.9)
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 #B5AEB9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.020
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.031
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.033
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.048
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.050
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.051
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.058
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.058
Use #B5AEB9 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.