What color is #B5BBAE?

#B5BBAE is a light low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(181, 187, 174), and in HSL hsl(88, 9%, 71%).

Is #B5BBAE accessible as text?

On white, #B5BBAE has a contrast ratio of 1.97:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.68:1 (passes). For text placed on #B5BBAE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #B5BBAE?

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

What colors go well with #B5BBAE?

As a neutral, #B5BBAE 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 #B5BBAE the same as CSS silver?

No — #B5BBAE is not the CSS named color silver, but silver (#C0C0C0) is the closest CSS named color.

#B5BBAE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #B5BBAE

Not just a swatch — here's how #B5BBAE works with other colors. Named schemes with #B5BBAE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #B5BBAE Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B7B09F Ink #2B2723

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 #B5BBAE Accent #A9C4B9 Surface #E2D9BE Secondary #9AA09F Anchor #183648

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

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #B5BBAE Secondary #4F6B39 Accent #AF6A00 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Ash Gray leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #B5BBAE Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #576770 Accent #DCE2D5

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #B5BBAE Secondary #E4E7E2 Support #999286 Ink #17140F

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 #B5BBAE 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 51/100

Neutral

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

Softness 77/100

High

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

Depth 20/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 34/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 26/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 7/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 18/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 74/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #B5BBAE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #B5BBAE with

Pastel Gray Ash Gray Dark Gray Platinum Outer Space

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 9.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0F1EF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #B1BCAE — 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 #B5BBAE 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: #B5BBAE;
  --color-base-rgb: 181 187 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(78.4% 0.019 127.2);
  --color-50: #F7F8F7;
  --color-100: #EBEDE9;
  --color-200: #D6DAD3;
  --color-300: #B8BDB2;
  --color-400: #99A092;
  --color-500: #7B8272;
  --color-600: #61675B;
  --color-700: #484B44;
  --color-800: #31332E;
  --color-900: #1F201D;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  ash-gray: {
    50: '#F7F8F7',
    100: '#EBEDE9',
    200: '#D6DAD3',
    300: '#B8BDB2',
    400: '#99A092',
    500: '#7B8272',
    600: '#61675B',
    700: '#484B44',
    800: '#31332E',
    900: '#1F201D',
  },
}

$base: #B5BBAE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F8F7;
$base-100: #EBEDE9;
$base-200: #D6DAD3;
$base-300: #B8BDB2;
$base-400: #99A092;
$base-500: #7B8272;
$base-600: #61675B;
$base-700: #484B44;
$base-800: #31332E;
$base-900: #1F201D;
$base-hover: #929B87;
$base-subtle: #E9EAE7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#B5BBAE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBEDE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D6DAD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B8BDB2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#99A092",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7B8272",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#61675B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#484B44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#31332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}