What color is #596261?

#596261 is a dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(89, 98, 97), and in HSL hsl(173, 5%, 37%).

Is #596261 accessible as text?

On white, #596261 has a contrast ratio of 6.28:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.34:1 (fails). For text placed on #596261, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #596261?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-600 (#57534D).

What colors go well with #596261?

As a neutral, #596261 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 #596261 the same as CSS dimgray?

No — #596261 is not the CSS named color dimgray, but dimgray (#696969) is the closest CSS named color.

#596261 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #596261

Not just a swatch — here's how #596261 works with other colors. Named schemes with #596261 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #596261 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #7C8584

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #596261 Secondary #725018 Surface #E4DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #552341

Ebony 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 #596261 Anchor #382B1E Surface #ECE4D0 Accent #819C71 Secondary #3A3833

Ebony 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 #596261 Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B5B19F Ink #2A2723

Ebony 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 #F6F4EF Accent #596261 Secondary #868989 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Ebony 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 Ebony carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #596261 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 47/100

Neutral

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

Softness 51/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 48/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 6/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 51/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 4/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 49/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 50/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #596261

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #596261 with

Gray Ebony Wenge Platinum Outer Space

UI roles & guardrails

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

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 6.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DEE0E0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #5A6163 — 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 #596261 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #596261;
  --color-base-rgb: 89 98 97;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(48.8% 0.011 188.8);
  --color-50: #F7F8F8;
  --color-100: #EAECEB;
  --color-200: #D4D8D8;
  --color-300: #B4BBBA;
  --color-400: #959D9C;
  --color-500: #767F7E;
  --color-600: #5D6564;
  --color-700: #454A4A;
  --color-800: #2F3232;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ebony: {
    50: '#F7F8F8',
    100: '#EAECEB',
    200: '#D4D8D8',
    300: '#B4BBBA',
    400: '#959D9C',
    500: '#767F7E',
    600: '#5D6564',
    700: '#454A4A',
    800: '#2F3232',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #596261;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F8F8;
$base-100: #EAECEB;
$base-200: #D4D8D8;
$base-300: #B4BBBA;
$base-400: #959D9C;
$base-500: #767F7E;
$base-600: #5D6564;
$base-700: #454A4A;
$base-800: #2F3232;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #484F4E;
$base-subtle: #CDD1D0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#596261",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAECEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D4D8D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B4BBBA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#959D9C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#767F7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5D6564",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#454A4A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F3232",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #596261

Color Lab

Pairs with #596261

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export