What color is #B8B1BE?

#B8B1BE is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(184, 177, 190), and in HSL hsl(272, 9%, 72%).

Is #B8B1BE accessible as text?

On white, #B8B1BE has a contrast ratio of 2.09:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 10.07:1 (passes). For text placed on #B8B1BE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #B8B1BE?

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

What colors go well with #B8B1BE?

As a neutral, #B8B1BE 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 #B8B1BE the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #B8B1BE is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#B8B1BE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #B8B1BE

Not just a swatch — here's how #B8B1BE works with other colors. Named schemes with #B8B1BE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #B8B1BE Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F8F0E7 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 #B8B1BE Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF 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 #B8B1BE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5C6573 Accent #DED8E4

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 #B8B1BE Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

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 #B8B1BE Secondary #E3E0E5 Support #9C9088 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 #B8B1BE 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 76/100

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 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 8/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 20/100

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 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #B8B1BE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #B8B1BE with

Lavender Gray Silver Ash 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 8.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F1F0F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BCB1BE — 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 #B8B1BE 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: #B8B1BE;
  --color-base-rgb: 184 177 190;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(77.0% 0.020 309.7);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #EBE9ED;
  --color-200: #D6D3DA;
  --color-300: #B8B2BD;
  --color-400: #9992A0;
  --color-500: #7B7282;
  --color-600: #615B67;
  --color-700: #48444B;
  --color-800: #312E33;
  --color-900: #1F1D20;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#EBE9ED',
    200: '#D6D3DA',
    300: '#B8B2BD',
    400: '#9992A0',
    500: '#7B7282',
    600: '#615B67',
    700: '#48444B',
    800: '#312E33',
    900: '#1F1D20',
  },
}

$base: #B8B1BE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #EBE9ED;
$base-200: #D6D3DA;
$base-300: #B8B2BD;
$base-400: #9992A0;
$base-500: #7B7282;
$base-600: #615B67;
$base-700: #48444B;
$base-800: #312E33;
$base-900: #1F1D20;
$base-hover: #94899D;
$base-subtle: #EAE8EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#B8B1BE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBE9ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D6D3DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B8B2BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9992A0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7B7282",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#615B67",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#48444B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#312E33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}