#B9B1BE
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(77.1% 0.02 312.8), rgb(185, 177, 190).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.09:1).
About this color
#B9B1BE is a medium-light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.020. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.09:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.020) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.09:1 |
| White text | 2.08:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9B1BE |
| RGB | rgb(185, 177, 190) |
| HSL | hsl(277, 9%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.1% 0.02 312.8) |
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 #B9B1BE | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc -45.3 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #B9B1BE | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc 63.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9B1BE text on white | 2.08:1 | Fails | Lc 40.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9B1BE text on black | 10.09:1 | AAA | Lc -61.6 | 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
#F6F5F7
oklch(97.1% 0.003 308.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EBE9ED
oklch(93.7% 0.006 308.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DCD7DE
oklch(88.5% 0.011 316.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9B1BE
oklch(77.1% 0.02 312.8)
-
Step 400
400
#A89BAF
oklch(70.7% 0.032 314)
-
Step 500
500
#92839C
oklch(63.2% 0.041 311.9)
-
Step 600
600
#7D6C87
oklch(55.7% 0.046 313)
-
Step 700
700
#695A72
oklch(49.1% 0.042 312.7)
-
Step 800
800
#564A5D
oklch(42.8% 0.034 313)
-
Step 900
900
#473E4C
oklch(37.8% 0.026 313.6)
-
Step 950
950
#29242D
oklch(27% 0.018 310.1)
#B9B1BE 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) | #AFB3BF | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1B4BE | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B9B2B5 | 0.014 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.020 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9B1BE
#B9B1BE
oklch(77.1% 0.02 312.8)
- #B0B7AA
#B0B7AA
oklch(77% 0.02 130.2)
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 #B9B1BE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.019
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.033
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.041
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.042
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.047
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.050
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.056
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.058
Use #B9B1BE 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.