Cool Gray Color Palette
Cool Gray Color Palette built around #9AA7B0, a dark cool neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 8.53:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #D8DEE3 | |
| surface | #A4AFB8 | |
| text | #4C555B | |
| text-muted | #9AA7B0 | |
| primary | #9AA7B0 | |
| secondary | #ABA49F | |
| accent | #A4AFB8 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #d8dee3;
--surface: #a4afb8;
--text: #4c555b;
--text-muted: #9aa7b0;
--primary: #9aa7b0;
--secondary: #aba49f;
--accent: #a4afb8;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #9AA7B0 | #D8DEE3 | #4C555B | #ABA49F | #A4AFB8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9AA7B0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #D8DEE3 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| #4C555B | 3.1 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| #ABA49F | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #A4AFB8 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the cool gray color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #9AA7B0, #D8DEE3, #4C555B, #ABA49F, #A4AFB8.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.