What color is #53555E?

#53555E is a gray, closest to the named color Blackwater. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #53555E?

The RGB value is 83, 85, 94: 83 red, 85 green and 94 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #53555E?

The complementary color is #5E5C53, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #53555E?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.83:1 and white text 7.42:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#53555E color

#53555E rgb(83, 85, 94)

Shades of gray

The hex color #53555E is a gray.

In the RGB color model it is made of 32.5% red, 33.3% green and 36.9% blue (83, 85, 94).

Its hue angle is 229°, with 6% saturation and 35% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 12% cyan, 10% magenta, 0% yellow and 63% black.

The closest named color is Blackwater (#545663), a difference of 2.1 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 7.42:1).

#53555E color codes

HEX	`#53555E`
RGB	`rgb(83, 85, 94)`
RGB percent	`rgb(32.5%, 33.3%, 36.9%)`
HSL	`hsl(229, 6%, 35%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(229, 12%, 37%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(12%, 10%, 0%, 63%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(36.26, 1.24, -5.48)`
CIE LCH	`lch(36.26, 5.62, 282.76)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(8.836, 9.144, 11.887)`
Decimal	`5461342`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #53555E, 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 #53555E	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.83:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	7.42:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#53555E as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	7.42:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.83:1	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 #53555E looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #53555e; }
.text { color: #53555e; }
.border { border: 2px solid #53555e; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(83 85 94 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #53555e, #56535e); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Charcoal.

Questions

What color is #53555E?: #53555E is a gray, closest to the named color Blackwater. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #53555E?: The RGB value is 83, 85, 94: 83 red, 85 green and 94 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #53555E?: The complementary color is #5E5C53, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #53555E?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 2.83:1 and white text 7.42:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.