What color is #BCAEB9?

#BCAEB9 is a light low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(188, 174, 185), and in HSL hsl(313, 9%, 71%).

Is #BCAEB9 accessible as text?

On white, #BCAEB9 has a contrast ratio of 2.12:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.89:1 (passes). For text placed on #BCAEB9, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BCAEB9?

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

What colors go well with #BCAEB9?

As a neutral, #BCAEB9 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 #BCAEB9 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #BCAEB9 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) is the closest CSS named color.

#BCAEB9 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BCAEB9

Not just a swatch — here's how #BCAEB9 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BCAEB9 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #BCAEB9 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BCADA1 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 #BCAEB9 Accent #A5C3C6 Surface #E8D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #25334B

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 #BCAEB9 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #E2D5DF

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 #BCAEB9 Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5D203D Accent #E6C2C5 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 #BCAEB9 Secondary #E3DEE2 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 #BCAEB9 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 75/100

High

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

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 28/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 22/100

Low

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

Surface fit 71/100

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 #BCAEB9

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BCAEB9 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 8.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F1EFF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BCAEB4 — 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 #BCAEB9 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: #BCAEB9;
  --color-base-rgb: 188 174 185;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(76.6% 0.022 333.0);
  --color-50: #F8F7F8;
  --color-100: #EDE9EC;
  --color-200: #DAD3D8;
  --color-300: #BDB2BB;
  --color-400: #A0929D;
  --color-500: #82727F;
  --color-600: #675B64;
  --color-700: #4B4449;
  --color-800: #332E32;
  --color-900: #201D1F;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-gray: {
    50: '#F8F7F8',
    100: '#EDE9EC',
    200: '#DAD3D8',
    300: '#BDB2BB',
    400: '#A0929D',
    500: '#82727F',
    600: '#675B64',
    700: '#4B4449',
    800: '#332E32',
    900: '#201D1F',
  },
}

$base: #BCAEB9;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F7F8;
$base-100: #EDE9EC;
$base-200: #DAD3D8;
$base-300: #BDB2BB;
$base-400: #A0929D;
$base-500: #82727F;
$base-600: #675B64;
$base-700: #4B4449;
$base-800: #332E32;
$base-900: #201D1F;
$base-hover: #9B8796;
$base-subtle: #EAE7EA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BCAEB9",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDE9EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DAD3D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BDB2BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A0929D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#82727F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#675B64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4B4449",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#332E32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D1F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}