Light Gray Color Palette
Light Gray Color Palette built around #D3D3D3, a light neutral neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 1.5:1 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 | #EFEFEF | |
| surface | #D3D3D3 | |
| text | #696969 | |
| text-muted | #B7B7B7 | |
| primary | #D3D3D3 | |
| secondary | #B7B7B7 | |
| accent | #B7B7B7 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #efefef;
--surface: #d3d3d3;
--text: #696969;
--text-muted: #b7b7b7;
--primary: #d3d3d3;
--secondary: #b7b7b7;
--accent: #b7b7b7;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #D3D3D3 | #EFEFEF | #696969 | #D3D3D3 | #B7B7B7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #D3D3D3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #EFEFEF | 1.3 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| #696969 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 2.7 |
| #D3D3D3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #B7B7B7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 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 light gray color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #D3D3D3, #EFEFEF, #696969, #D3D3D3, #B7B7B7.
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.