#AE9E8E Hex Color
Online color picker to view shades, tints, color codes, and complementary colors
A muted, dusty clay, #ae9e8e bridges the gap between warm orange and cool grey. Because of its desaturated character, it works best as a grounding neutral rather than a primary focus. Pair it with deep charcoals or forest greens to keep the palette from looking washed out. It offers excellent legibility for text, as black font stands out sharply against this mid-tone background.
Questions about #ae9e8e
What is #ae9e8e in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #ae9e8e is rgb(174, 158, 142), in HSL hsl(30, 16%, 62%) and in CMYK 0%, 9%, 18%, 32%.
What colors pair best with #ae9e8e?
This muted clay serves as an excellent anchor for high-contrast pairings. Because it is desaturated, it balances perfectly against deep charcoal or dark forest green accents without losing its distinct, organic character on screen or in print.
Does #ae9e8e read as a warm or cool color?
The #ae9e8e shade sits in a unique middle ground that defies simple classification. While it contains warm, earthen clay undertones, its heavy desaturation gives it a cool, professional gray finish that prevents it from feeling overtly sunny or aggressive.
Is #ae9e8e readable on white or black?
#ae9e8e has a 2.59:1 contrast ratio on white and 8.08:1 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.