What color is #4E5261?

#4E5261 is a dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(78, 82, 97), and in HSL hsl(227, 11%, 34%).

Is #4E5261 accessible as text?

On white, #4E5261 has a contrast ratio of 7.77:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 2.70:1 (fails). For text placed on #4E5261, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #4E5261?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-600 (#52525C).

What colors go well with #4E5261?

As a neutral, #4E5261 pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a muted neutral, divider, icon or disabled-state color and let the accent carry the color.

Is #4E5261 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #4E5261 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#4E5261 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #4E5261

Not just a swatch — here's how #4E5261 works with other colors. Named schemes with #4E5261 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #4E5261 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #707482

Iron Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Iron Gray.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4E5261 Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582239

Iron Gray plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #4E5261 Anchor #3B2924 Surface #F3E1D2 Accent #769F7B Secondary #3C3734

Iron Gray anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #4E5261 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Iron Gray sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #4E5261 Secondary #797A80 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Iron Gray is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Iron Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #4E5261 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 45/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 45/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 53/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 56/100

Moderate

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 51/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 49/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #4E5261

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #4E5261 with

Dim Gray Iron Gray Ebony Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 7.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DBDCE0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4F4D60 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #4E5261 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #4E5261;
  --color-base-rgb: 78 82 97;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(44.1% 0.025 273.6);
  --color-50: #F6F7F8;
  --color-100: #E8E9ED;
  --color-200: #D2D4DB;
  --color-300: #B1B4BF;
  --color-400: #9094A2;
  --color-500: #717584;
  --color-600: #5A5D68;
  --color-700: #43454C;
  --color-800: #2E2F33;
  --color-900: #1D1E20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  iron-gray: {
    50: '#F6F7F8',
    100: '#E8E9ED',
    200: '#D2D4DB',
    300: '#B1B4BF',
    400: '#9094A2',
    500: '#717584',
    600: '#5A5D68',
    700: '#43454C',
    800: '#2E2F33',
    900: '#1D1E20',
  },
}

$base: #4E5261;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F7F8;
$base-100: #E8E9ED;
$base-200: #D2D4DB;
$base-300: #B1B4BF;
$base-400: #9094A2;
$base-500: #717584;
$base-600: #5A5D68;
$base-700: #43454C;
$base-800: #2E2F33;
$base-900: #1D1E20;
$base-hover: #3E414D;
$base-subtle: #C8CAD1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#4E5261",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E9ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2D4DB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1B4BF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9094A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#717584",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5A5D68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#43454C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2F33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1E20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #4E5261

Color Lab

Pairs with #4E5261

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export