#B9ABA1
Closest named color: Pinkish Grey (#C8ACA9). oklch(75% 0.022 58), rgb(185, 171, 161).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.40:1).
About this color
#B9ABA1 is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.022. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Pinkish Grey (#C8ACA9), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.40:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.022) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Pinkish Grey (#C8ACA9) |
| Black text | 9.40:1 |
| White text | 2.23:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9ABA1 |
| RGB | rgb(185, 171, 161) |
| HSL | hsl(25, 15%, 68%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75% 0.022 58) |
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 #B9ABA1 | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc -48.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #B9ABA1 | 9.40:1 | AAA | Lc 59.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B9ABA1 text on white | 2.23:1 | Fails | Lc 44.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9ABA1 text on black | 9.40:1 | AAA | Lc -58.1 | 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
#F6F5F4
oklch(97.1% 0.002 67.8)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE9E7
oklch(93.6% 0.004 56.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DDD8D4
oklch(88.5% 0.008 61.4)
-
Step 300
300
#C8BFB8
oklch(81% 0.014 60.5)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#B9ABA1
oklch(75% 0.022 58)
-
Step 500
500
#978679
oklch(63.2% 0.028 59.7)
-
Step 600
600
#816F62
oklch(55.5% 0.03 57.9)
-
Step 700
700
#6D5D51
oklch(49% 0.028 58.9)
-
Step 800
800
#594C43
oklch(42.7% 0.023 56.7)
-
Step 900
900
#493F38
oklch(37.6% 0.018 57.1)
-
Step 950
950
#2B2521
oklch(27% 0.012 55.8)
#B9ABA1 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) | #AFACA0 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2AFA1 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #BEA8A8 | 0.017 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ADADAD | 0.022 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9ABA1
#B9ABA1
oklch(75% 0.022 58)
- #A2B0BA
#A2B0BA
oklch(74.9% 0.021 238.8)
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 #B9ABA1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.026
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.026
- Bland #AFA88B ΔE 0.034
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.035
- Mushroom #BA9E88 ΔE 0.040
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.041
- Stone #ADA587 ΔE 0.041
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.042
Use #B9ABA1 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.