Gray #808080
Gray is a medium-dark close to neutral grey with hex code #808080 and RGB rgb(128, 128, 128).
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Black text reads best on this color (5.31:1).
About this color
#808080 is a medium-dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.000. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. It is the named color Gray. Black text reads best on it, at 5.31:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.000) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Gray |
| Black text | 5.31:1 |
| White text | 3.94:1 |
Colors that go with Gray
Matches found by rotating Gray around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Gray is close to neutral, so it has no hue to rotate. It pairs with almost any color; try the palettes below.
Color palettes with Gray
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Gray, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Gray, with their ΔE distance.
- Medium Grey #7D7F7C ΔE 0.008
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.026
- Slate Gray #708090 ΔE 0.032
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.033
- Battleship Grey #6B7C85 ΔE 0.034
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.038
- Lavender Gray #7E7F9A ΔE 0.041
- Brown Grey #8D8468 ΔE 0.044
More about Gray
How to make Gray
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 4 parts gray
- 1 part green
- 1 part purple
Recipe result: #7E7F81, a difference of ΔE 0.005 from Gray. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Gray in every format
| HEX | #808080 |
| RGB | rgb(128, 128, 128) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 50%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60% 0 0) |
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 #808080 | 3.94:1 | AA large text | Lc -72.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #808080 | 5.31:1 | AA | Lc 37.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #808080 text on white | 3.94:1 | AA large text | Lc 66.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #808080 text on black | 5.31:1 | AA | Lc -34.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Gray
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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F5F5
oklch(97% 0 0)
-
Step 100
100
#EAEAEA
oklch(93.7% 0 0)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D9D9
oklch(88.5% 0 0)
-
Step 300
300
#C0C0C0
oklch(80.8% 0 0)
-
Step 400
400
#A0A0A0
oklch(70.6% 0 0)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#808080
oklch(60% 0 0)
-
Step 600
600
#737373
oklch(55.6% 0 0)
-
Step 700
700
#616161
oklch(49.3% 0 0)
-
Step 800
800
#4F4F4F
oklch(42.8% 0 0)
-
Step 900
900
#414141
oklch(37.5% 0 0)
-
Step 950
950
#262626
oklch(26.9% 0 0)
Gray 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) | #808080 | 0.000 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #808080 | 0.000 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #808080 | 0.000 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #808080 | 0.000 |
Use Gray 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.