What color is #A9979A?

#A9979A is a light, grayish red, closest to the named color Sphinx. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #A9979A?

The RGB value is 169, 151, 154: 169 red, 151 green and 154 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #A9979A?

The complementary color is #97A9A6, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #A9979A?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 7.58:1 and white text 2.77:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#A9979A color

#A9979A rgb(169, 151, 154)

Shades of gray

The hex color #A9979A is a light, grayish red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 66.3% red, 59.2% green and 60.4% blue (169, 151, 154).

Its hue angle is 350°, with 9% saturation and 63% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 11% magenta, 9% yellow and 34% black.

The closest named color is Sphinx (#A99593), a difference of 2.5 ΔE, a small difference.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 7.58:1).

#A9979A color codes

HEX	`#A9979A`
RGB	`rgb(169, 151, 154)`
RGB percent	`rgb(66.3%, 59.2%, 60.4%)`
HSL	`hsl(350, 9%, 63%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(350, 11%, 66%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 11%, 9%, 34%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(64.08, 7.17, 0.85)`
CIE LCH	`lch(64.08, 7.22, 6.79)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(33.261, 32.902, 35.164)`
Decimal	`11114394`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #A9979A, 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 #A9979A	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	7.58:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.77:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#A9979A as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.77:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	7.58:1	Pass	Pass	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 #A9979A looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #a9979a; }
.text { color: #a9979a; }
.border { border: 2px solid #a9979a; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(169 151 154 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #a9979a, #a99d97); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Pastel Purple.

Questions

What color is #A9979A?: #A9979A is a light, grayish red, closest to the named color Sphinx. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #A9979A?: The RGB value is 169, 151, 154: 169 red, 151 green and 154 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #A9979A?: The complementary color is #97A9A6, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #A9979A?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 7.58:1 and white text 2.77:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.