Slate Gray Color Palette
Slate Gray Color Palette built around #708090, a dark cool neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 5.18:1 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 | #C8CFD7 | |
| surface | #7E8C9B | |
| text | #38434D | |
| text-muted | #708090 | |
| primary | #708090 | |
| secondary | #898077 | |
| accent | #7E8C9B |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #c8cfd7;
--surface: #7e8c9b;
--text: #38434d;
--text-muted: #708090;
--primary: #708090;
--secondary: #898077;
--accent: #7e8c9b;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #708090 | #C8CFD7 | #38434D | #898077 | #7E8C9B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #708090 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| #C8CFD7 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| #38434D | 2.5 | 6.4 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| #898077 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| #7E8C9B | 1.2 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 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 slate gray color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #708090, #C8CFD7, #38434D, #898077, #7E8C9B.
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.