What color is #656B59?

#656B59 is a dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(101, 107, 89), and in HSL hsl(80, 9%, 38%).

Is #656B59 accessible as text?

On white, #656B59 has a contrast ratio of 5.53:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.80:1 (fails). For text placed on #656B59, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #656B59?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-500 (#79716B).

What colors go well with #656B59?

As a neutral, #656B59 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 #656B59 the same as CSS dimgray?

No — #656B59 is not the CSS named color dimgray, but dimgray (#696969) is the closest CSS named color.

#656B59 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #656B59

Not just a swatch — here's how #656B59 works with other colors. Named schemes with #656B59 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #656B59 Secondary #506B39 Accent #AF6A02 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Dim Gray leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #656B59 Secondary #764D1D Surface #E6DBC0 Accent #3D513F Anchor #5B2324

Dim 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 #656B59 Anchor #392B1F Surface #EEE4D0 Accent #8A9A6B Secondary #3B3833

Dim 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 #656B59 Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B7B09F Ink #2B2723

Dim 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 #F7F4EF Accent #656B59 Secondary #90928C Support #999286 Ink #17140F

Dim 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 Dim Gray carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #656B59 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 53/100

Neutral

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 45/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 41/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 55/100

Moderate

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 50/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 11/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 60/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 45/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #656B59

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #656B59 with

Shadow Dim Gray 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 5.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E0E1DD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #5E6A58 — 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 #656B59 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: #656B59;
  --color-base-rgb: 101 107 89;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.7% 0.028 122.4);
  --color-50: #F8F8F7;
  --color-100: #EBEDE9;
  --color-200: #D7DAD3;
  --color-300: #BABDB2;
  --color-400: #9BA092;
  --color-500: #7D8272;
  --color-600: #63675B;
  --color-700: #494B44;
  --color-800: #31332E;
  --color-900: #1F201D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dim-gray: {
    50: '#F8F8F7',
    100: '#EBEDE9',
    200: '#D7DAD3',
    300: '#BABDB2',
    400: '#9BA092',
    500: '#7D8272',
    600: '#63675B',
    700: '#494B44',
    800: '#31332E',
    900: '#1F201D',
  },
}

$base: #656B59;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F8F7;
$base-100: #EBEDE9;
$base-200: #D7DAD3;
$base-300: #BABDB2;
$base-400: #9BA092;
$base-500: #7D8272;
$base-600: #63675B;
$base-700: #494B44;
$base-800: #31332E;
$base-900: #1F201D;
$base-hover: #505447;
$base-subtle: #D1D3CC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#656B59",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBEDE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D7DAD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BABDB2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9BA092",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7D8272",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#63675B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#494B44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#31332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #656B59

Color Lab

Pairs with #656B59

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export