#BDBDBD Color

#BDBDBD is rgb(189, 189, 189) in RGB, hsl(0, 0%, 74%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 26%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Gray (X11) (#BEBEBE), indistinguishable to the eye at ΔE 0.36. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#BDBDBD

HEX#BDBDBD

RGBrgb(189, 189, 189)

HSLhsl(0, 0%, 74%)

HSVhsv(0, 0%, 74%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 26%)

OKLCHoklch(79.8% 0 0)

LABlab(76.61% -0.00 0.00)

LCHlch(76.61% 0.00 0.00)

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

Gray (X11)#BEBEBEΔE 0.36 Silver#C0C0C0ΔE 1.09 Silver Sand#BFC1C2ΔE 1.63 Philippine Silver#B3B3B3ΔE 3.67 Blue-gray (Crayola)#C8C8CDΔE 4.86 Pale Silver#C9C0BBΔE 4.86

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

#BDBDBD Channel Values

How #BDBDBD 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 189 · G 189 · B 189	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 0° · S 0% · L 74%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 0° · S 0% · V 74%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 0% · Y 0% · K 26%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	1.88:1 vs white · 11.18:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #BDBDBD 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 text1.88:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

TextBlack text11.18:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

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

Colors That Go With #BDBDBD

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

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 #BDBDBD.

How #BDBDBD 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#BDBDBD

Protanopia#BDBDBD

Protanomaly#BDBDBD

Deuteranopia#BDBDBD

Deuteranomaly#BDBDBD

Tritanopia#BDBDBD

Tritanomaly#BDBDBD

Achromatopsia#BDBDBD

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #BDBDBD in Code

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

CSS custom property--color-bdbdbd: #BDBDBD;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #BDBDBD;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-bdbdbd': '#BDBDBD' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.741, green: 0.741, blue: 0.741)

Android XML<color name="color_bdbdbd">#BDBDBD</color>

SVG fillfill="#BDBDBD"

More Gray Colors

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

bebebe bababa bfbfbf b8b8b8 bfc1c2 b5b5b5 c0c0c0 b3b3b3 c2c2c2 b2beb5 c4c4c4 b0b0b0 cccccc d9d9d9 343434 414a4c 4f4f4f 575757 6b6b6b 757575 828e84 8c8c8c 9f9fa9 aaa9ad

#BDBDBD Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #BDBDBD?

#BDBDBD is a light gray — rgb(189, 189, 189) in RGB and hsl(0, 0%, 74%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Gray (X11) (#BEBEBE), which is indistinguishable to the eye at a CIE76 distance of 0.36.

What is the RGB value of #BDBDBD?

#BDBDBD is rgb(189, 189, 189) — red 189, green 189, and blue 189 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #BDBDBD?

#BDBDBD converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 26%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #BDBDBD be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #BDBDBD scores 1.88:1 against white and 11.18:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #BDBDBD as a CSS color keyword?

No. #BDBDBD 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 1.09, which is below the threshold most people can see.

Open #BDBDBD 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.