Gainsboro Color Palette
Gainsboro Color Palette built around #DCDCDC, a light neutral neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 1.37:1 against white). 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 | #F2F2F2 | |
| surface | #DCDCDC | |
| text | #6D6D6D | |
| text-muted | #BFBFBF | |
| primary | #DCDCDC | |
| secondary | #BFBFBF | |
| accent | #BFBFBF |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #f2f2f2;
--surface: #dcdcdc;
--text: #6d6d6d;
--text-muted: #bfbfbf;
--primary: #dcdcdc;
--secondary: #bfbfbf;
--accent: #bfbfbf;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #DCDCDC | #F2F2F2 | #6D6D6D | #DCDCDC | #BFBFBF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #DCDCDC | 1.0 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #F2F2F2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| #6D6D6D | 3.8 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 2.8 |
| #DCDCDC | 1.0 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #BFBFBF | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 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 gainsboro color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #DCDCDC, #F2F2F2, #6D6D6D, #DCDCDC, #BFBFBF.
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.