What color is #A5AEBE?

#A5AEBE is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(165, 174, 190), and in HSL hsl(218, 16%, 70%).

Is #A5AEBE accessible as text?

On white, #A5AEBE has a contrast ratio of 2.23:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.40:1 (passes). For text placed on #A5AEBE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #A5AEBE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-400 (#99A1AF).

What colors go well with #A5AEBE?

As a neutral, #A5AEBE pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark 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 #A5AEBE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #A5AEBE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#A5AEBE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #A5AEBE

Not just a swatch — here's how #A5AEBE works with other colors. Named schemes with #A5AEBE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #A5AEBE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 Anchor #2E3236

Dark Gray keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #A5AEBE Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Dark Gray opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #A5AEBE Surface #EBEADD Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

Dark 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #A5AEBE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #CCD4E3

Dark 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 Dark Gray.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #A5AEBE Secondary #D7DAE0 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Dark 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 Dark Gray carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #A5AEBE 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 44/100

Neutral

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

Softness 73/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 24/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 25/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 68/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #A5AEBE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #A5AEBE with

Pastel Gray Dark Gray Khaki Gainsboro Charcoal

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 8.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EEEFF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A6A7BF — 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 #A5AEBE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #A5AEBE;
  --color-base-rgb: 165 174 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.9% 0.025 262.1);
  --color-50: #F6F7F9;
  --color-100: #E7EAEE;
  --color-200: #D0D4DD;
  --color-300: #ADB5C2;
  --color-400: #8C95A6;
  --color-500: #6C7788;
  --color-600: #575E6B;
  --color-700: #41464E;
  --color-800: #2D2F34;
  --color-900: #1C1E21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F6F7F9',
    100: '#E7EAEE',
    200: '#D0D4DD',
    300: '#ADB5C2',
    400: '#8C95A6',
    500: '#6C7788',
    600: '#575E6B',
    700: '#41464E',
    800: '#2D2F34',
    900: '#1C1E21',
  },
}

$base: #A5AEBE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F7F9;
$base-100: #E7EAEE;
$base-200: #D0D4DD;
$base-300: #ADB5C2;
$base-400: #8C95A6;
$base-500: #6C7788;
$base-600: #575E6B;
$base-700: #41464E;
$base-800: #2D2F34;
$base-900: #1C1E21;
$base-hover: #7D8AA1;
$base-subtle: #E5E7EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#A5AEBE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7EAEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D0D4DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ADB5C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8C95A6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6C7788",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#575E6B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#41464E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D2F34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1E21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}