What color is #B5B2AD?

#B5B2AD is a gray, closest to the named color Steam Engine. It belongs to the gray family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #B5B2AD?

The RGB value is 181, 178, 173: 181 red, 178 green and 173 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #B5B2AD?

The complementary color is #ADB0B5, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #B5B2AD?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 9.94:1 and white text 2.11:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#B5B2AD color

#B5B2AD rgb(181, 178, 173)

Shades of gray

The hex color #B5B2AD is a gray.

In the RGB color model it is made of 71% red, 69.8% green and 67.8% blue (181, 178, 173).

Its hue angle is 37°, with 5% saturation and 69% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 2% magenta, 4% yellow and 29% black.

The closest named color is Steam Engine (#B2B2AD), a difference of 1.6 ΔE, which is barely visible.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 9.94:1).

#B5B2AD color codes

HEX	`#B5B2AD`
RGB	`rgb(181, 178, 173)`
RGB percent	`rgb(71%, 69.8%, 67.8%)`
HSL	`hsl(37, 5%, 69%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(37, 4%, 71%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 2%, 4%, 29%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(72.68, 0.15, 2.93)`
CIE LCH	`lch(72.68, 2.93, 87.1)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(42.518, 44.682, 45.912)`
Decimal	`11907757`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #B5B2AD, 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 #B5B2AD	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	9.94:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.11:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#B5B2AD as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.11:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	9.94:1	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 #B5B2AD looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #b5b2ad; }
.text { color: #b5b2ad; }
.border { border: 2px solid #b5b2ad; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(181 178 173 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #b5b2ad, #b4b5ad); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Greige.

Questions

What color is #B5B2AD?: #B5B2AD is a gray, closest to the named color Steam Engine. It belongs to the gray family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #B5B2AD?: The RGB value is 181, 178, 173: 181 red, 178 green and 173 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #B5B2AD?: The complementary color is #ADB0B5, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #B5B2AD?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 9.94:1 and white text 2.11:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.