#BABABA
- Brightness
- 186.0
- HSL (°,%,%)
- 0°, 0%, 73%
- HSV V %
- 73%
- Lab
- 75.5, 0.0, 0.0
- CMYK (%)
- 0%, 0%, 0%, 27%
- PNG size
- 4.4 KB
- Tone / Feel
- light, muted warm hue
Black text
10.82:1
AAA (normal) · AAA (large)
White text
1.94:1
Fail (normal) · Fail (large)
Recommended text: Black (10.82:1 — AAA / AAA)
Color Profile: #BABABA
Common Name: Neutral Gray
Color Values:
RGB: 186, 186, 186
HSL: 0°, 0%, ~73% (neutral gray tone)
Contrast Ratios:
Contrast vs White: 1.4:1 (Fails AA)
Contrast vs Black: 13.3:1 (Passes AA)
Mood & Usage:
This soft neutral gray conveys a calm, balanced, and minimalist mood. It's widely favored in design for its understated elegance and versatility, making it a perfect backdrop or complement in arts and visual design. The tone often suggests professionalism, modernity, and neutrality without distracting attention.
Close Named Matches:
- RAL 000 75 00 (Exact Match) – Agreed neutral gray in RAL Design system (ΔE=0.00)
- NCS S 2500-N – Natural Color System, very close to #BABAB8 (ΔE=1.08)
- BS4800 22-C-35 – British Standard Purple Gray, a close neutral (ΔE=1.10)
- Jotun 3009 Knight – Soft neutral paint tone, close in shade (ΔE=1.55)
- Behr BHG-70 Skating Pond – Popular neutral gray paint (ΔE=0.89)
Why Designers Use It:
- This particular neutral gray (#BABABA) is valued for its high adaptability across design disciplines, especially in visual arts and digital design, due to its balanced lightness and neutrality.
- It acts as a reliable base color that harmonizes well with both warm and cool color palettes, making it a preferred choice in branding, user interface design, and gallery exhibitions.
- The color's moderate brightness ensures sufficient contrast against darker tones without overpowering more vibrant colors, important in accessible design and readability considerations.
- It’s often linked with modernist aesthetics in architecture and industrial design, reflecting subtle sophistication and minimalism favored in contemporary environments.
- While neutral grays are timeless, this tone aligns particularly well with Scandinavian design trends, which emphasize muted, calming, and natural palettes inspired by nature and soft daylight.
- In manufacturing and coatings, such a shade often resembles powdered metal finishes or brushed steel surfaces, enhancing its application in automotive interiors, consumer electronics, and home appliances.