What color is #B5AAAE?

#B5AAAE is a light low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(181, 170, 174), and in HSL hsl(338, 7%, 69%).

Is #B5AAAE accessible as text?

On white, #B5AAAE has a contrast ratio of 2.25:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.33:1 (passes). For text placed on #B5AAAE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #B5AAAE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-400 (#A6A09B).

What colors go well with #B5AAAE?

As a neutral, #B5AAAE 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 #B5AAAE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #B5AAAE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#B5AAAE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #B5AAAE

Not just a swatch — here's how #B5AAAE works with other colors. Named schemes with #B5AAAE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #B5AAAE Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BCAEA0 Ink #2B2723

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 #B5AAAE Accent #A5C3C7 Surface #E7D7BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #26324B

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 #B5AAAE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #DBD0D4

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 #B5AAAE Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E203A Accent #E6C2C4 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 #F7F4EF Accent #B5AAAE Secondary #DDD9DA Support #9C9087 Ink #17140F

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 #B5AAAE 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 52/100

Neutral

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

Softness 75/100

High

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

Depth 23/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 6/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 29/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 5/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 72/100

High

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

Print safety 99/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #B5AAAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #B5AAAE with

Lavender Gray Dark Gray Ash Gray Gainsboro Taupe

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 #F0EEEF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B5AAAB — 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 #B5AAAE 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: #B5AAAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 181 170 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.8% 0.014 353.3);
  --color-50: #F8F7F7;
  --color-100: #ECE9EA;
  --color-200: #D9D3D5;
  --color-300: #BCB3B6;
  --color-400: #9F9397;
  --color-500: #817479;
  --color-600: #655D60;
  --color-700: #4A4547;
  --color-800: #322F30;
  --color-900: #201D1E;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F8F7F7',
    100: '#ECE9EA',
    200: '#D9D3D5',
    300: '#BCB3B6',
    400: '#9F9397',
    500: '#817479',
    600: '#655D60',
    700: '#4A4547',
    800: '#322F30',
    900: '#201D1E',
  },
}

$base: #B5AAAE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F7F7;
$base-100: #ECE9EA;
$base-200: #D9D3D5;
$base-300: #BCB3B6;
$base-400: #9F9397;
$base-500: #817479;
$base-600: #655D60;
$base-700: #4A4547;
$base-800: #322F30;
$base-900: #201D1E;
$base-hover: #95858B;
$base-subtle: #E9E6E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#B5AAAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F7F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECE9EA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D9D3D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BCB3B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9F9397",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#817479",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#655D60",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4A4547",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322F30",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D1E",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}