Gray Color Palette
Gray Color Palette built around #808080, a dark neutral neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 5.32:1 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 | #CFCFCF | |
| surface | #8C8C8C | |
| text | #424242 | |
| text-muted | #808080 | |
| primary | #808080 | |
| secondary | #8C8C8C | |
| accent | #8C8C8C |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #cfcfcf;
--surface: #8c8c8c;
--text: #424242;
--text-muted: #808080;
--primary: #808080;
--secondary: #8c8c8c;
--accent: #8c8c8c;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #808080 | #CFCFCF | #424242 | #808080 | #8C8C8C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #808080 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| #CFCFCF | 2.5 | 1.0 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| #424242 | 2.5 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| #808080 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| #8C8C8C | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 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 gray color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #808080, #CFCFCF, #424242, #808080, #8C8C8C.
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.