DarkGray color
Inspect DarkGray (#A9A9A9) in HEX, RGB, HSL, LCH and OKLCH, check its contrast, and copy the value you need.
DarkGray color values
DarkGray
#A9A9A9
Black text reads best on this background, at 8.94:1.
DarkGray is one of the 148 CSS named colors, and resolves to #A9A9A9 in every browser. In numbers that is rgb(169, 169, 169) and hsl(0, 0%, 66%). Perceptually it is a light, near-neutral color: OKLCH puts its lightness at 73% and its chroma at 0. It carries almost no chroma, so it behaves as a neutral rather than as a hue, and belongs with the grays.
White text only reaches 2.35:1 here, so black text is the safer pairing at 8.94:1. With this little chroma it recedes, which makes it useful for borders, dividers and secondary surfaces.
The closest CSS named colors to DarkGray, measured with CIEDE2000, are Silver (#C0C0C0), LightGray (#D3D3D3), LightGrey (#D3D3D3). If DarkGray is not quite right, those are the nearest keywords to try before reaching for a custom value.
HEX
#A9A9A9
RGB
rgb(169, 169, 169)
HSL
hsl(0, 0%, 66%)
HWB
hwb(0 66% 34%)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 34%)
LAB
lab(69.24 0 0)
LCH
lch(69.24 0 0)
OKLCH
oklch(73.48% 0 0)
Is DarkGray accessible?
WCAG asks for 4.5:1 between body text and its background. On #A9A9A9 white text measures 2.35:1 and black text 8.94:1, so black clears it and white does not.
White text on DarkGray
WCAG 2.2
2.35:1
APCA
Lc 51
Fails AA body text
Fails AAA body text
Fails AA large text
Black text on DarkGray
WCAG 2.2
8.94:1
APCA
Lc 57
Passes AA body text
Passes AAA body text
Passes AA large text
Check DarkGray against any other color in the contrast checker.
Tints and shades of DarkGray
DarkGray sits at 73% OKLCH lightness. Holding its hue and chroma and moving only that value carries it up to #F8F8F8 and down to #060606, which keeps the family recognizable instead of letting it drift toward gray the way a plain HSL ramp does.
Tints, toward white
#B8B8B8
20% lighter
#C8C8C8
40% lighter
#D8D8D8
60% lighter
#E8E8E8
80% lighter
#F8F8F8
100% lighter
Shades, toward black
#848484
20% darker
#606060
40% darker
#3F3F3F
60% darker
#202020
80% darker
#060606
100% darker
Build a full accessible scale from #A9A9A9 in the shade generator.
How DarkGray looks with color blindness
DarkGray barely moves under any of the four common forms of color blindness, the largest shift being 0 CIEDE2000 units under protanopia. It stays recognizable, though it still should not be the only thing carrying meaning.
Protanopia
#A9A9A9
Deuteranopia
#A9A9A9
Tritanopia
#A9A9A9
Achromatopsia
#A9A9A9
Colors similar to DarkGray
The nearest CSS keywords to #A9A9A9, ranked by perceptual distance rather than by how close their hex digits happen to look.