#979698 Hex Color
A soft, restrained ash gray
#979698 is a muted, nearly colorless gray with a soft ashy cast and balanced medium-light value. Its restraint suits UI backgrounds, product layouts, and minimal branding, where it supports stronger accents without competing. Black typography provides about a 7.1:1 contrast ratio, meeting WCAG AA for body text. Pair it with dark navy or muted plum; the hex code is #979698.
Questions about #979698
What is #979698 in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #979698 is rgb(151, 150, 152), in HSL hsl(270, 1%, 59%) and in CMYK 1%, 1%, 0%, 40%.
What colors pair well with #979698 in a palette?
Does #979698 look warm or cool?
#979698 reads as a neutral, slightly cool gray because its blue component is marginally higher than its red and green values, creating a soft ashy cast rather than a warm beige tone. It feels calm, restrained, and unobtrusive in layouts.
Is #979698 readable on white or black?
#979698 has a 2.94:1 contrast ratio on white and 7.13:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it is too faint for text and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.