What color is #AEA5AE?

#AEA5AE is a light low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(174, 165, 174), and in HSL hsl(300, 5%, 66%).

Is #AEA5AE accessible as text?

On white, #AEA5AE has a contrast ratio of 2.39:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 8.79:1 (passes). For text placed on #AEA5AE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #AEA5AE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-400 (#A1A1A1).

What colors go well with #AEA5AE?

As a neutral, #AEA5AE 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 #AEA5AE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #AEA5AE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#AEA5AE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #AEA5AE

Not just a swatch — here's how #AEA5AE works with other colors. Named schemes with #AEA5AE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #AEA5AE Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

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 #AEA5AE Accent #A5C3C5 Surface #E8D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #24334B

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #AEA5AE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5C6573 Accent #D4CBD4

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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #AEA5AE Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5D203D Accent #E6C2C6 Secondary #332B2E

Dark Gray sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #AEA5AE Secondary #D7D4D7 Support #9C9087 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #AEA5AE 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 50/100

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 25/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 31/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 70/100

High

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

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #AEA5AE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #AEA5AE with

Silver Dark Gray 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 7.8:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #ADA4AA — 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 #AEA5AE 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: #AEA5AE;
  --color-base-rgb: 174 165 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(73.2% 0.016 325.7);
  --color-50: #F8F7F8;
  --color-100: #ECEAEC;
  --color-200: #D8D4D8;
  --color-300: #BBB4BB;
  --color-400: #9D959D;
  --color-500: #7F767F;
  --color-600: #655D65;
  --color-700: #4A454A;
  --color-800: #322F32;
  --color-900: #201D20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F8F7F8',
    100: '#ECEAEC',
    200: '#D8D4D8',
    300: '#BBB4BB',
    400: '#9D959D',
    500: '#7F767F',
    600: '#655D65',
    700: '#4A454A',
    800: '#322F32',
    900: '#201D20',
  },
}

$base: #AEA5AE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F7F8;
$base-100: #ECEAEC;
$base-200: #D8D4D8;
$base-300: #BBB4BB;
$base-400: #9D959D;
$base-500: #7F767F;
$base-600: #655D65;
$base-700: #4A454A;
$base-800: #322F32;
$base-900: #201D20;
$base-hover: #8D818D;
$base-subtle: #E6E4E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#AEA5AE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECEAEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D8D4D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BBB4BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9D959D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7F767F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#655D65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4A454A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322F32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}