What color is #4E4E51?

#4E4E51 is a gray, closest to the named color Shady Character. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #4E4E51?

The RGB value is 78, 78, 81: 78 red, 78 green and 81 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #4E4E51?

The complementary color is #51514E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #4E4E51?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.53:1 and white text 8.29:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#4E4E51 color

#4E4E51 rgb(78, 78, 81)

Shades of gray

The hex color #4E4E51 is a gray.

In the RGB color model it is made of 30.6% red, 30.6% green and 31.8% blue (78, 78, 81).

Its hue angle is 240°, with 2% saturation and 31% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 4% cyan, 4% magenta, 0% yellow and 68% black.

The closest named color is Shady Character (#4C4B4C), a difference of 1.6 ΔE, which is barely visible.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 8.29:1).

#4E4E51 color codes

HEX	`#4E4E51`
RGB	`rgb(78, 78, 81)`
RGB percent	`rgb(30.6%, 30.6%, 31.8%)`
HSL	`hsl(240, 2%, 31%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(240, 4%, 32%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(4%, 4%, 0%, 68%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(33.27, 0.66, -1.77)`
CIE LCH	`lch(33.27, 1.89, 290.5)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(7.351, 7.663, 8.875)`
Decimal	`5131857`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #4E4E51, 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 #4E4E51	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.53:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	8.29:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#4E4E51 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	8.29:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.53:1	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 #4E4E51 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #4e4e51; }
.text { color: #4e4e51; }
.border { border: 2px solid #4e4e51; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(78 78 81 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #4e4e51, #504e51); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Graphite.

Questions

What color is #4E4E51?: #4E4E51 is a gray, closest to the named color Shady Character. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #4E4E51?: The RGB value is 78, 78, 81: 78 red, 78 green and 81 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #4E4E51?: The complementary color is #51514E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #4E4E51?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.53:1 and white text 8.29:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.