#B5BAAE
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(78.2% 0.018 125.4), rgb(181, 186, 174).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.59:1).
About this color
#B5BAAE is a light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.018. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.59:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.018) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.59:1 |
| White text | 1.98:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BAAE |
| RGB | rgb(181, 186, 174) |
| HSL | hsl(85, 8%, 71%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.2% 0.018 125.4) |
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 #B5BAAE | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc -42.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BAAE | 10.59:1 | AAA | Lc 65.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BAAE text on white | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc 38.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BAAE text on black | 10.59:1 | AAA | Lc -64.1 | 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
#D7DAD3
oklch(88.4% 0.01 125.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BAAE
oklch(78.2% 0.018 125.4)
-
Step 400
400
#9CA491
oklch(70.7% 0.028 125.8)
-
Step 500
500
#848E76
oklch(63.2% 0.037 125.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6E785F
oklch(55.7% 0.039 125.4)
-
Step 700
700
#5C654E
oklch(49.2% 0.037 125.1)
-
Step 800
800
#4B5240
oklch(42.7% 0.03 124.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3F4436
oklch(37.7% 0.024 123.5)
-
Step 950
950
#252820
oklch(27.1% 0.015 124.1)
#B5BAAE 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) | #BCB8AD | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BBB8AE | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B6B9B6 | 0.013 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.018 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BAAE
#B5BAAE
oklch(78.2% 0.018 125.4)
- #BAB5C1
#BAB5C1
oklch(78.1% 0.018 304.7)
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 #B5BAAE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.031
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.032
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.042
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.042
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.048
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.050
- Tan #D2B48C ΔE 0.055
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.057
Use #B5BAAE 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.