What color is #B1B8BE?

#B1B8BE is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(177, 184, 190), and in HSL hsl(208, 9%, 72%).

Is #B1B8BE accessible as text?

On white, #B1B8BE has a contrast ratio of 2.01:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.47:1 (passes). For text placed on #B1B8BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #B1B8BE?

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

What colors go well with #B1B8BE?

As a neutral, #B1B8BE 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 #B1B8BE the same as CSS silver?

No — #B1B8BE is not the CSS named color silver, but silver (#C0C0C0) is the closest CSS named color.

#B1B8BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #B1B8BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #B1B8BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #B1B8BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #B1B8BE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2A2823

Ash 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 #B1B8BE Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #20344A

Ash 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 #B1B8BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #D8DFE4

Ash 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 Ash Gray.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #B1B8BE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 Anchor #2E3236

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #B1B8BE Secondary #E2E4E7 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Ash 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 Ash Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #B1B8BE 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 78/100

High

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

Depth 21/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 23/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 26/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 4/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 17/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 75/100

High

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

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #B1B8BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #B1B8BE with

Pastel Gray Dark Gray Ash Gray Platinum 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 9.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F1F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B1B4BE — 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 #B1B8BE 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: #B1B8BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 177 184 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.9% 0.012 243.7);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #E9EBED;
  --color-200: #D3D6DA;
  --color-300: #B2B8BD;
  --color-400: #9299A0;
  --color-500: #727B82;
  --color-600: #5B6167;
  --color-700: #44484B;
  --color-800: #2E3133;
  --color-900: #1D1F20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#E9EBED',
    200: '#D3D6DA',
    300: '#B2B8BD',
    400: '#9299A0',
    500: '#727B82',
    600: '#5B6167',
    700: '#44484B',
    800: '#2E3133',
    900: '#1D1F20',
  },
}

$base: #B1B8BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #E9EBED;
$base-200: #D3D6DA;
$base-300: #B2B8BD;
$base-400: #9299A0;
$base-500: #727B82;
$base-600: #5B6167;
$base-700: #44484B;
$base-800: #2E3133;
$base-900: #1D1F20;
$base-hover: #89949D;
$base-subtle: #E8EAEB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#B1B8BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9EBED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D6DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B2B8BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9299A0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#727B82",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B6167",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#44484B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E3133",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1F20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #B1B8BE

Color Lab

Pairs with #B1B8BE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export