Dark gray

#a3aa9e

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for dark gray, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

Dark gray carries almost no chroma, so it works as a neutral. Mid greys like this are the backbone of clean, editorial layouts. It works under any accent color, holding a scheme together without competing.

Dark gray color values

Every conversion for #a3aa9e, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#a3aa9e
RGB163, 170, 158
HSL95, 7%, 64%
HSV95, 7%, 67%
CMYK4%, 0%, 7%, 33%
Lab68.75, -4.73, 5.32
XYZ35.65, 39.0, 38.0
Decimal10726046
Web safe#999999
Pantone5635 C
Pantone5635 CHex#a3aa9eRgb163 170 158Cmyk4 0 7 33Lab69 -5 5Darker#5c6356Deep#7f8978Lighter#c7cbc4

Shades of dark gray

Tints of dark gray

Colors that go with dark gray

Dark gray in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 4, 0, 7, 33.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #a3aa9e on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C
4 0 7 33
Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.
Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U
8 4 10 39
The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color converts to cmyk comfortably and should hold on press.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or read rgb vs cmyk for print and what the k in cmyk means.

Dark gray in css

Copy #a3aa9e straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #a3aa9e; }
.text { color: #a3aa9e; }
.border { border: 2px solid #a3aa9e; }

How dark gray looks on light and dark

Dark gray and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #a3aa9e against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Textwhite text on this color
2.39:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Textblack text on this color
8.80:1
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #a3aa9e against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through our contrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Dark gray on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #a3aa9e sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Your nameFounderhello@brand.comBusiness card
Sticker
Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around dark gray? Pull matching colors from any photo with the color palette generator, or check a design for print with the rgb to cmyk converter.

Turn dark gray into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #a3aa9e and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from dark gray, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

Every value on this page for #a3aa9e is computed, not guessed. We convert from sRGB to each space with the standard formulas, so the codes match what design tools show. The coated and uncoated cmyk builds differ because uncoated stock absorbs more ink and gains dot, so the same color needs a heavier, slightly duller build on press. For Pantone we return the nearest reference by perceptual distance, which gets you close but is not a substitute for a physical swatch book.