Gray 400
gray-400 · #9CA3AF
HEX
#9CA3AF
RGB
rgb(156, 163, 175)
CMYK
cmyk(11%, 7%, 0%, 31%)
HSL
hsl(218, 11%, 65%)
LAB
lab(66.8, -0.0, -7.0)
What is Gray 400?
Gray 400 is the gray-400 reference in the Tailwind CSS palette. Its sRGB value is #9CA3AF (rgb 156, 163, 175). It sits in the neutral family. The default color palette shipped with Tailwind CSS v3 by Tailwind Labs. 22 color families across 11 lightness steps (50 to 950). See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Gray 400 as a background.
Black text on this color
White text on this color
Shades, tints & tonal scale of Gray 400
An 11-step tonal scale derived from Gray 400 (#9CA3AF). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.
50
#F7F8F9
#F7F8F9
100
#EFF0F2
#EFF0F2
200
#DFE2E5
#DFE2E5
300
#CED1D7
#CED1D7
400
#B5BAC3
#B5BAC3
500
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
600
#858B95
#858B95
700
#656A72
#656A72
800
#46494F
#46494F
900
#27292C
#27292C
950
#131415
#131415
Lighter tints (mixed with white)
15%
#B0B5BE
30%
#C1C5CB
45%
#D0D3D8
60%
#DEE0E3
75%
#EBECEE
Darker shades (mixed with black)
15%
#9197A3
30%
#858B95
45%
#777C85
60%
#666B73
75%
#51555C
Color harmonies for Gray 400
Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Gray 400. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.
Complementary
180° opposite — strongest contrast
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#B0A89C
#B0A89C
Triadic
Three colors 120° apart
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#B09CA3
#B09CA3
#A3B09C
#A3B09C
Analogous
Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel
#9CADB0
#9CADB0
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#9F9CB0
#9F9CB0
Split-complementary
Base + two colors flanking its complement
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#B09F9C
#B09F9C
#ADB09C
#ADB09C
Tetradic
Two complementary pairs
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#A89CB0
#A89CB0
#B0A89C
#B0A89C
#A3B09C
#A3B09C
Square
Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart
#9CA3AF
#9CA3AF
#B09CAD
#B09CAD
#B0A89C
#B0A89C
#9CB09F
#9CB09F
Gray 400 in every color space
Full conversion of Gray 400 across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.
HEX
#9CA3AF
RGB
rgb(156, 163, 175)
CMYK
cmyk(11%, 7%, 0%, 31%)
HSL
hsl(218, 11%, 65%)
HSV
hsv(218, 11%, 69%)
HWB
hwb(218 61% 31%)
CIE Lab
lab(66.8 -0.0 -7.0)
OKLCH
oklch(71.4% 0.019 261.3)
XYZ (D65)
xyz(34.54, 36.36, 45.75)
Copy-ready code for Gray 400
Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.
CSS
color: #9CA3AF;
background-color: #9CA3AF;CSS variable
:root {
--color-gray-400: #9CA3AF;
}Tailwind config
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
'gray-400': '#9CA3AF',
}Sass
$color-gray-400: #9CA3AF;Swift UIColor
UIColor(red: 0.612, green: 0.639, blue: 0.686, alpha: 1.0)Android XML
<color name="gray-400">#9CA3AF</color>Closest match in every color system
The nearest Gray 400 equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.
Closest in Tailwind CSS palette
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.
Closest Pantone matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.
Closest RAL Classic matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.
RAL 7040
#9DA1AA
Window grey
RAL 7001
#8F999F
Silver grey
RAL 7004
#9EA0A1
Signal grey
RAL 9006
#A5A5A5
White aluminium
RAL 9007
#8F8F8F
Grey aluminium
RAL 7000
#7E8B92
Squirrel grey
FAQ about Gray 400
What is the HEX code for Gray 400?
Gray 400 (gray-400) has the HEX code #9CA3AF. In RGB it is rgb(156, 163, 175), and in CMYK it is cmyk(11%, 7%, 0%, 31%).
What is the OKLCH value of Gray 400?
Gray 400 converts to oklch(0.714 0.019 261.3). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.
Is Gray 400 accessible for body text?
Used as a background, Gray 400 has a contrast ratio of 8.27:1 with black text and 2.54:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use black text and verify in real UI context.
What is the closest Pantone to Gray 400?
The closest Pantone reference to Gray 400 by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone Cool Gray 6 C (#A7A8AA). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.
What is the closest RAL color to Gray 400?
The closest RAL Classic reference to Gray 400 by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 7040 (Window grey, #9DA1AA). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.
What is the complementary color of Gray 400?
The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Gray 400 is #B0A89C. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.
Data provenance & source
Tailwind CSS default palette (v3)
The default color palette shipped with Tailwind CSS v3 by Tailwind Labs Inc. Use as a reference for design tokens, web color systems, and Tailwind-based design conversations. Names like 'blue-500' are the project's own naming convention.
- Source type
- derived
- Confidence
- high
- License
- MIT
- Last reviewed
- 2026-05-24
Workflow tags
Tailwind palette values are designed for digital interfaces under sRGB. For print, convert to a process-appropriate value and proof against the substrate; do not rely on sRGB CMYK conversion for color-critical print work.