#A6A9AE Hex Color
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UI designers reach for #a6a9ae when plain white backgrounds feel too sharp. This cool grey carries a faint blue undertone and very low saturation, which gives it a calm, professional feel. It works best as a supporting tone rather than a dominant base, since it can wash out next to pure white. The hex code #a6a9ae hits about 8.9:1 contrast with black text, enough for WCAG AA body copy.
Questions about #a6a9ae
What is #a6a9ae in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #a6a9ae is rgb(166, 169, 174), in HSL hsl(218, 5%, 67%) and in CMYK 5%, 3%, 0%, 32%.
What colors pair well with #a6a9ae?
Warm accents like terracotta and burgundy balance the cool blue undertone in #a6a9ae, while crisp navy keeps a palette looking professional. Deeper neutrals read better against it than pure white, which can drain its depth.
Is #a6a9ae readable on white or black?
#a6a9ae has a 2.35:1 contrast ratio on white and 8.90:1 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.