What color is #686959?

#686959 is a grayish yellow, closest to the named color Knit Cardigan. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #686959?

The RGB value is 104, 105, 89: 104 red, 105 green and 89 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #686959?

The complementary color is #5A5969, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #686959?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3.75:1 and white text 5.59:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#686959 color

#686959 rgb(104, 105, 89)

Shades of gray

The hex color #686959 is a grayish yellow.

In the RGB color model it is made of 40.8% red, 41.2% green and 34.9% blue (104, 105, 89).

Its hue angle is 64°, with 8% saturation and 38% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 1% cyan, 0% magenta, 15% yellow and 59% black.

The closest named color is Knit Cardigan (#6D6C5F), a difference of 2.3 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 5.59:1).

#686959 color codes

HEX	`#686959`
RGB	`rgb(104, 105, 89)`
RGB percent	`rgb(40.8%, 41.2%, 34.9%)`
HSL	`hsl(64, 8%, 38%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(64, 15%, 41%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(1%, 0%, 15%, 59%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(43.9, -3.48, 8.88)`
CIE LCH	`lch(43.9, 9.54, 111.39)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(12.563, 13.768, 11.445)`
Decimal	`6842713`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #686959, 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 #686959	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	3.75:1	Fail	Fail	Pass
Sample text	5.59:1	Pass	Fail	Pass

#686959 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	5.59:1	Pass	Fail	Pass
Sample text	3.75:1	Fail	Fail	Pass

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 #686959 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #686959; }
.text { color: #686959; }
.border { border: 2px solid #686959; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(104 105 89 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #686959, #606959); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Ebony.

Questions

What color is #686959?: #686959 is a grayish yellow, closest to the named color Knit Cardigan. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #686959?: The RGB value is 104, 105, 89: 104 red, 105 green and 89 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #686959?: The complementary color is #5A5969, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #686959?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 3.75:1 and white text 5.59:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.