#A8A8A8 Color
#A8A8A8 is rgb(168, 168, 168) in RGB, hsl(0, 0%, 66%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 34%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Dark Gray (#A9A9A9), indistinguishable to the eye at ΔE 0.37. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.
#A8A8A8rgb(168, 168, 168)hsl(0, 0%, 66%)hsv(0, 0%, 66%)cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 34%)oklch(73.2% 0 0)lab(68.87% -0.00 0.00)lch(68.87% 0.00 0.00)What #A8A8A8 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 #A8A8A8, 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.
#A8A8A8 Channel Values
How #A8A8A8 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 168 · G 168 · B 168 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 0° · S 0% · L 66% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 0° · S 0% · V 66% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 0% · M 0% · Y 0% · K 34% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 2.38:1 vs white · 8.83:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #A8A8A8 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 #A8A8A8 in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #A8A8A8
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #A8A8A8; 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 #A8A8A8
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 #A8A8A8.
How #A8A8A8 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.
#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8#A8A8A8Using #A8A8A8 in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-a8a8a8: #A8A8A8;background-color: #A8A8A8;colors: { 'color-a8a8a8': '#A8A8A8' }Color(red: 0.659, green: 0.659, blue: 0.659)<color name="color_a8a8a8">#A8A8A8</color>fill="#A8A8A8"More Gray Colors
#A8A8A8 sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#A8A8A8 Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #A8A8A8?
#A8A8A8 is a light gray — rgb(168, 168, 168) in RGB and hsl(0, 0%, 66%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Dark Gray (#A9A9A9), which is indistinguishable to the eye at a CIE76 distance of 0.37.
What is the RGB value of #A8A8A8?
#A8A8A8 is rgb(168, 168, 168) — red 168, green 168, and blue 168 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #A8A8A8?
#A8A8A8 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 34%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #A8A8A8 be black or white?
Black text is the more readable choice. #A8A8A8 scores 2.38:1 against white and 8.83:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #A8A8A8 as a CSS color keyword?
No. #A8A8A8 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 0.37, which is indistinguishable to the eye.
Open #A8A8A8 in a Tool
Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.