Middle Gray (#8B8680)

The hex code for Middle Gray is #8B8680. It is rgb(139, 134, 128) in RGB, hsl(33, 5%, 52%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 4%, 8%, 45%) in CMYK — a mid-tone gray. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#8B8680

HEX#8B8680

RGBrgb(139, 134, 128)

HSLhsl(33, 5%, 52%)

HSVhsv(33, 8%, 55%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 4%, 8%, 45%)

OKLCHoklch(62.3% 0.011 72.6)

LABlab(56.23% 1.10 3.94)

LCHlch(56.23% 4.09 74.41)

Colors Closest to Middle Gray

Middle Gray is a registered color name. These are the named colors nearest to it, measured as CIE76 distance in CIELAB — a perceptual scale, so the ordering matches what the eye sees rather than how close the raw RGB numbers happen to sit.

Titanium#878681ΔE 1.84 Battleship Gray#848482ΔE 3.37 Philippine Gray#8C8C8CΔE 4.56 Rocket Metallic#8A7F80ΔE 4.87 Gray#808080ΔE 4.87 Taupe Gray#8B8589ΔE 5.56

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every gray in the library.

#8B8680 Channel Values

How Middle Gray 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 139 · G 134 · B 128	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 33° · S 5% · L 52%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 33° · S 8% · V 55%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 4% · Y 8% · K 45%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	3.61:1 vs white · 5.82:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a Middle Gray 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.

TextWhite text3.61:1AA normal ✗AA large ✓AAA normal ✗

TextBlack text5.82:1AA normal ✓AA large ✓AAA normal ✗

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #8B8680 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With Middle Gray

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite Middle Gray; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base

Complementary

Analogous

Analogous

Triadic

Triadic

Split comp.

Split comp.

Tints & Shades of Middle Gray

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.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #8B8680.

How Middle Gray 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.

Typical#8B8680

Protanopia#878780

Protanomaly#898780

Deuteranopia#888880

Deuteranomaly#898780

Tritanopia#8C8585

Tritanomaly#8B8683

Achromatopsia#878787

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #8B8680 in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--middle-gray: #8B8680;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #8B8680;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'middle-gray': '#8B8680' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.545, green: 0.525, blue: 0.502)

Android XML<color name="middle_gray">#8B8680</color>

SVG fillfill="#8B8680"

More Gray Colors

Middle Gray sits in the grayfamily. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

8c8c8c 8b8589 8f8f8f 8a7f80 8f9695 899499 919191 878787 969696 878681 989898 848482 9c9c9c a9acb6 b8b8b8 c4c4c4 d6d3d1 2a2d2f 3d3d3d 474747 52525c 5e5e5e 6e6e6e 796878

#8B8680 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Middle Gray?

The hex code for Middle Gray is #8B8680. That is rgb(139, 134, 128) in RGB, hsl(33, 5%, 52%) in HSL, and approximately cmyk(0%, 4%, 8%, 45%) in CMYK.

What is the RGB value of #8B8680?

#8B8680 is rgb(139, 134, 128) — red 139, green 134, and blue 128 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #8B8680?

#8B8680 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 4%, 8%, 45%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #8B8680 be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #8B8680 scores 3.61:1 against white and 5.82:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #8B8680 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #8B8680 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 4.87, which is very hard to tell apart.

Open Middle Gray in a Tool

Hex to RGB Hex to HSL Hex to CMYK Hex to OKLCH Hex to Pantone Build a palette Make a gradient

Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.