#988B88 Hex Color
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#988b88 is a muted, dusty neutral that leans into a greyish red. Rather than evoking the typical urgency of bright reds, this shade offers a grounded, sophisticated tone suitable for backgrounds. It pairs well with crisp off-whites to avoid looking muddy. Since black text provides excellent readability at 6.4:1, the hex code #988b88 works reliably for small body copy in UI design.
Questions about #988b88
What is #988b88 in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #988b88 is rgb(152, 139, 136), in HSL hsl(11, 7%, 56%) and in CMYK 0%, 9%, 11%, 40%.
What colors pair best with #988b88 in a design?
Use #988b88 alongside crisp white or light cream to keep your layout looking clean and avoid a muddy appearance. For accent colors, deep charcoals provide a structured, high-contrast look that maintains the professional, grounded nature of this specific shade.
Is #988b88 a warm or cool color?
#988b88 leans warm because it contains subtle red undertones, distinguishing it from a strictly neutral grey. These undertones make it feel more approachable and organic for digital interfaces, effectively avoiding the sterile or clinical feeling often associated with cold-toned grays.
Is #988b88 readable on white or black?
#988b88 has a 3.28:1 contrast ratio on white and 6.38:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold) and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.