Dark Gray Color Palette
Dark Gray Color Palette built around #A9A9A9, a dark neutral neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 8.94:1 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 | #DFDFDF | |
| surface | #B1B1B1 | |
| text | #565656 | |
| text-muted | #A9A9A9 | |
| primary | #A9A9A9 | |
| secondary | #B1B1B1 | |
| accent | #B1B1B1 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #dfdfdf;
--surface: #b1b1b1;
--text: #565656;
--text-muted: #a9a9a9;
--primary: #a9a9a9;
--secondary: #b1b1b1;
--accent: #b1b1b1;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #A9A9A9 | #DFDFDF | #565656 | #A9A9A9 | #B1B1B1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #A9A9A9 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #DFDFDF | 1.8 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| #565656 | 3.1 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| #A9A9A9 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #B1B1B1 | 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 dark gray color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #A9A9A9, #DFDFDF, #565656, #A9A9A9, #B1B1B1.
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.