#999999 Color

#999999 is rgb(153, 153, 153) in RGB, hsl(0, 0%, 60%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 40%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Spanish Gray (#989898), indistinguishable to the eye at ΔE 0.38. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#999999

HEX#999999

RGBrgb(153, 153, 153)

HSLhsl(0, 0%, 60%)

HSVhsv(0, 0%, 60%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 40%)

OKLCHoklch(68.3% 0 0)

LABlab(63.22% -0.00 0.00)

LCHlch(63.22% 0.00 0.00)

What #999999 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 #999999, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Spanish Gray#989898ΔE 0.38 Traffic Gray a#8F9695ΔE 3.3 Quick Silver#A6A6A6ΔE 4.9 Philippine Gray#8C8C8CΔE 4.97 Pewter#899499ΔE 5.91 Dark Gray#A9A9A9ΔE 6.02

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

#999999 Channel Values

How #999999 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 153 · G 153 · B 153	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 0° · S 0% · L 60%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 0° · S 0% · V 60%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 0% · Y 0% · K 40%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	2.85:1 vs white · 7.37:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #999999 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.

Fails AAWhite text2.85:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

TextBlack text7.37:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #999999 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #999999

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #999999; 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 #999999

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 #999999.

How #999999 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#999999

Protanopia#999999

Protanomaly#999999

Deuteranopia#999999

Deuteranomaly#999999

Tritanopia#999999

Tritanomaly#999999

Achromatopsia#999999

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #999999 in Code

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

CSS custom property--color-999999: #999999;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #999999;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-999999': '#999999' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.600, green: 0.600, blue: 0.600)

Android XML<color name="color_999999">#999999</color>

SVG fillfill="#999999"

More Gray Colors

#999999 sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

9c9c9c 989898 9f9fa9 969696 a1a1a1 919191 a3a3a3 8f9695 a6a09b 8f8f8f a6a6a6 8e8c84 a9a9b0 b8b8b8 c7c7c7 d6d6d6 2e2e2e 413639 4d5d53 555d61 676767 738276 808080 8b8589

#999999 Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #999999?

#999999 is a light gray — rgb(153, 153, 153) in RGB and hsl(0, 0%, 60%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Spanish Gray (#989898), which is indistinguishable to the eye at a CIE76 distance of 0.38.

What is the RGB value of #999999?

#999999 is rgb(153, 153, 153) — red 153, green 153, and blue 153 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #999999?

#999999 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 40%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #999999 be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #999999 scores 2.85:1 against white and 7.37:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #999999 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #999999 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 darkgray (#A9A9A9) at a CIE76 distance of 6.02, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.

Open #999999 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.