#B5BCAE Color
#B5BCAE is rgb(181, 188, 174) in RGB, hsl(90, 9%, 71%) in HSL, and about cmyk(4%, 0%, 7%, 26%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Ash Gray (#B2BEB5), very hard to tell apart at ΔE 3.39. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.
#B5BCAErgb(181, 188, 174)hsl(90, 9%, 71%)hsv(90, 7%, 74%)cmyk(4%, 0%, 7%, 26%)oklch(78.6% 0.021 128.8)lab(75.39% -4.44 6.22)lch(75.39% 7.65 125.52)What #B5BCAE 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 #B5BCAE, 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.
#B5BCAE Channel Values
How #B5BCAE 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 181 · G 188 · B 174 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 90° · S 9% · L 71% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 90° · S 7% · V 74% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 4% · M 0% · Y 7% · K 26% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 1.95:1 vs white · 10.77:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #B5BCAE 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 #B5BCAE in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #B5BCAE
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #B5BCAE; 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 #B5BCAE
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 #B5BCAE.
How #B5BCAE 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.
#B5BCAE#BBBBAE#B9BBAE#BABAAE#B8BBAE#B7BABA#B6BBB6#BABABAUsing #B5BCAE in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-b5bcae: #B5BCAE;background-color: #B5BCAE;colors: { 'color-b5bcae': '#B5BCAE' }Color(red: 0.710, green: 0.737, blue: 0.682)<color name="color_b5bcae">#B5BCAE</color>fill="#B5BCAE"More Gray Colors
#B5BCAE sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#B5BCAE Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #B5BCAE?
#B5BCAE is a light gray — rgb(181, 188, 174) in RGB and hsl(90, 9%, 71%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Ash Gray (#B2BEB5), which is very hard to tell apart at a CIE76 distance of 3.39.
What is the RGB value of #B5BCAE?
#B5BCAE is rgb(181, 188, 174) — red 181, green 188, and blue 174 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #B5BCAE?
#B5BCAE converts to approximately cmyk(4%, 0%, 7%, 26%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #B5BCAE be black or white?
Black text is the more readable choice. #B5BCAE scores 1.95:1 against white and 10.77:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #B5BCAE as a CSS color keyword?
No. #B5BCAE 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 silver (#C0C0C0) at a CIE76 distance of 7.99, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.
Open #B5BCAE in a Tool
Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.