What color is #ABABC4?

#ABABC4 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(171, 171, 196), and in HSL hsl(240, 17%, 72%).

Is #ABABC4 accessible as text?

On white, #ABABC4 has a contrast ratio of 2.25:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.35:1 (passes). For text placed on #ABABC4, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #ABABC4?

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

What colors go well with #ABABC4?

As a neutral, #ABABC4 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 #ABABC4 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #ABABC4 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#ABABC4 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #ABABC4

Not just a swatch — here's how #ABABC4 works with other colors. Named schemes with #ABABC4 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #ABABC4 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #ABABC4 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #ABABC4 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #ABABC4 Secondary #D9D9E3 Support #9D9088 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #ABABC4 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #D1D2E9

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #ABABC4 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 72/100

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 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 30/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 28/100

Low

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

Surface fit 65/100

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 #ABABC4

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #ABABC4 with

Lavender Gray Lilac Soft Sage Gainsboro Onyx

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 #EFEFF2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B4ABC4 — 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 #ABABC4 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #ABABC4;
  --color-base-rgb: 171 171 196;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.9% 0.036 285.5);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E7E7EE;
  --color-200: #CFCFDD;
  --color-300: #ADADC3;
  --color-400: #8B8BA7;
  --color-500: #6B6B89;
  --color-600: #56566B;
  --color-700: #41414E;
  --color-800: #2C2C35;
  --color-900: #1C1C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E7E7EE',
    200: '#CFCFDD',
    300: '#ADADC3',
    400: '#8B8BA7',
    500: '#6B6B89',
    600: '#56566B',
    700: '#41414E',
    800: '#2C2C35',
    900: '#1C1C21',
  },
}

$base: #ABABC4;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E7E7EE;
$base-200: #CFCFDD;
$base-300: #ADADC3;
$base-400: #8B8BA7;
$base-500: #6B6B89;
$base-600: #56566B;
$base-700: #41414E;
$base-800: #2C2C35;
$base-900: #1C1C21;
$base-hover: #8080A5;
$base-subtle: #E7E7EC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#ABABC4",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7E7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CFCFDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ADADC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8B8BA7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6B6B89",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#56566B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#41414E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}