#898990 Color
#898990 is rgb(137, 137, 144) in RGB, hsl(240, 3%, 55%) in HSL, and about cmyk(5%, 5%, 0%, 44%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Taupe Gray (#8B8589), very hard to tell apart at ΔE 3.25. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.
#898990rgb(137, 137, 144)hsl(240, 3%, 55%)hsv(240, 5%, 56%)cmyk(5%, 5%, 0%, 44%)oklch(63.2% 0.01 286.1)lab(57.26% 1.05 -3.75)lch(57.26% 3.90 285.63)What #898990 Is Called
Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #898990, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.
Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every gray in the library.
#898990 Channel Values
How #898990 breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.
| Model | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | R 137 · G 137 · B 144 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 240° · S 3% · L 55% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 240° · S 5% · V 56% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 5% · M 5% · Y 0% · K 44% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 3.47:1 vs white · 6.04:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #898990 background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.
Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #898990 in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #898990
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #898990; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.
Tints & Shades of #898990
Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.
Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #898990.
How #898990 Looks with Color Vision Deficiency
Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.
#898990#898990#898990#898990#898990#888A8A#888A8C#8A8A8AUsing #898990 in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-898990: #898990;background-color: #898990;colors: { 'color-898990': '#898990' }Color(red: 0.537, green: 0.537, blue: 0.565)<color name="color_898990">#898990</color>fill="#898990"More Gray Colors
#898990 sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#898990 Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #898990?
#898990 is a mid-tone gray — rgb(137, 137, 144) in RGB and hsl(240, 3%, 55%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Taupe Gray (#8B8589), which is very hard to tell apart at a CIE76 distance of 3.25.
What is the RGB value of #898990?
#898990 is rgb(137, 137, 144) — red 137, green 137, and blue 144 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #898990?
#898990 converts to approximately cmyk(5%, 5%, 0%, 44%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #898990 be black or white?
Black text is the more readable choice. #898990 scores 3.47:1 against white and 6.04:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #898990 as a CSS color keyword?
No. #898990 is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is gray (#808080) at a CIE76 distance of 5.36, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.
Open #898990 in a Tool
Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.