What color is #4E4E42?

#4E4E42 is a dark, grayish yellow, closest to the named color Heavy Metal. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #4E4E42?

The RGB value is 78, 78, 66: 78 red, 78 green and 66 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #4E4E42?

The complementary color is #42424E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #4E4E42?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.49:1 and white text 8.43:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#4E4E42 color

#4E4E42 rgb(78, 78, 66)

Shades of gray

The hex color #4E4E42 is a dark, grayish yellow.

In the RGB color model it is made of 30.6% red, 30.6% green and 25.9% blue (78, 78, 66).

Its hue angle is 60°, with 8% saturation and 28% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 15% yellow and 69% black.

The closest named color is Heavy Metal (#46473E), a difference of 2.8 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 8.43:1).

#4E4E42 color codes

HEX	`#4E4E42`
RGB	`rgb(78, 78, 66)`
RGB percent	`rgb(30.6%, 30.6%, 25.9%)`
HSL	`hsl(60, 8%, 28%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(60, 15%, 31%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 0%, 15%, 69%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(32.84, -2.43, 7.12)`
CIE LCH	`lch(32.84, 7.52, 108.84)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(6.85, 7.462, 6.233)`
Decimal	`5131842`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #4E4E42, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #4E4E42	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.49:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	8.43:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#4E4E42 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	8.43:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.49:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #4E4E42 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #4e4e42; }
.text { color: #4e4e42; }
.border { border: 2px solid #4e4e42; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(78 78 66 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #4e4e42, #484e42); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Ebony.

Questions

What color is #4E4E42?: #4E4E42 is a dark, grayish yellow, closest to the named color Heavy Metal. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #4E4E42?: The RGB value is 78, 78, 66: 78 red, 78 green and 66 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #4E4E42?: The complementary color is #42424E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #4E4E42?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.49:1 and white text 8.43:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.