Muted Gray Hex Codes: 60 Muted, softly saturated shades
89 muted, softly saturated shades of gray with names, hex codes, contrast on white and the best text color for each.
These are the muted, softly saturated shades of gray in Tintly's color library: 89 of the 89 gray shades. Muted shades are calm and sophisticated. They suit large areas and brands that want to feel composed.
Muted gray shades with hex codes
| Name | Hex | On white | Text on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umbra | #211E1F | 16.53:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Lead | #212121 | 16.10:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Dark | #1B2431 | 15.63:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Nero | #252525 | 15.32:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Cinder | #242A2E | 14.52:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Haiti | #2C2A35 | 14.09:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Caviar | #2B2C30 | 13.94:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Noir | #312B27 | 13.94:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Mole | #392D2B | 13.25:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Aztec | #293432 | 12.87:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Cola | #3C2F23 | 12.93:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Oil | #313330 | 12.75:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Ebony | #313337 | 12.65:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Creole | #393227 | 12.65:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Carbon | #333333 | 12.63:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Charcoal | #343837 | 11.88:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Cowboy | #443736 | 11.37:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Turtle | #523F31 | 9.93:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Onyx | #464544 | 9.56:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Tuna | #46494E | 9.03:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Kelp | #4D503C | 8.30:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Magnet | #525054 | 7.97:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Trout | #4C5356 | 7.83:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Lynx | #604D47 | 7.92:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Masala | #57534B | 7.65:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Fiord | #4B5A62 | 7.14:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Bark | #5F5854 | 6.97:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Fedora | #625665 | 6.91:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Iron | #5E5E5E | 6.48:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Smoky | #605D6B | 6.41:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Kabul | #6C5E53 | 6.24:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Slate | #516572 | 6.07:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Morel | #73645C | 5.66:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Armoury | #6A6B65 | 5.37:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Rum | #716675 | 5.44:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Batman | #656E72 | 5.21:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Anchovy | #756F6B | 4.94:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Mamba | #766D7C | 4.94:1 | #FFFFFF |
| Gotham | #807872 | 4.33:1 | #000000 |
| Mule | #827B77 | 4.15:1 | #111111 |
| Whale | #7C8181 | 3.95:1 | #111111 |
| Grey | #808080 | 3.94:1 | #111111 |
| Armour | #74857F | 3.88:1 | #111111 |
| Antique | #8B846D | 3.73:1 | #111111 |
| Opium | #987E7E | 3.73:1 | #111111 |
| Jumbo | #878785 | 3.59:1 | #111111 |
| Argent | #888888 | 3.54:1 | #111111 |
| Zinc | #92898A | 3.40:1 | #111111 |
| Gull | #918C8F | 3.30:1 | #111111 |
| Tin | #919191 | 3.15:1 | #111111 |
| Nickel | #929292 | 3.11:1 | #111111 |
| Pebble | #9D9880 | 2.90:1 | #111111 |
| Nomad | #A19986 | 2.83:1 | #111111 |
| Cortex | #A99592 | 2.83:1 | #111111 |
| Sphinx | #A99593 | 2.83:1 | #111111 |
| Walrus | #999B9B | 2.79:1 | #111111 |
| Martini | #B7A8A3 | 2.29:1 | #111111 |
| Ether | #98B2B4 | 2.24:1 | #111111 |
| Cool | #96B3B3 | 2.23:1 | #111111 |
| Pigeon | #A9AFAA | 2.23:1 | #111111 |
How to use them
Use a muted shade as the main brand surface and add a single vivid or light shade for emphasis, so the palette has a focal point.
Standouts in this group
- Darkest: Umbra (#211E1F), at 24% lightness.
- Lightest: Salt (#EFEDE6), at 95% lightness.
- Most saturated: Turtle (#523F31).
- Best text color on white: Umbra (#211E1F), at 16.53:1.
What the numbers say
Across all 89 gray shades in the library, lightness runs from 24% to 95%. 38 of them reach 4.5 to 1 on white, so they can be used as text on a light page, and 50 reach 4.5 to 1 on near-black, so they can be used as text on a dark page. The rest are for fills, surfaces and large type, where the requirement is lower. Within the muted, softly saturated shades the figures are different: 38 of 89 pass on white.
Pairing with other families
The base gray (#7C8590) separates best from beige (2.66:1), yellow (2.27:1) and brown (1.96:1). Because gray stands for balance, neutrality and maturity, those pairings carry the most contrast of both color and meaning.
- Gray and beige: see the combinations in soft, bold and dark versions.
- Gray and yellow: see the combinations in soft, bold and dark versions.
- Gray and brown: see the combinations in soft, bold and dark versions.