#E8E9E9 · #A6A8A8 · #636565 · #1A1B1B
Use #E8E9E9 as the background. Use #A6A8A8 as the primary accent. Use #636565 as secondary. Use #1A1B1B as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Mercury — mono, cool, night, neon, moody.
Technical breakdown for the Mercury color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).
| Swatch | Design Role | HEX | RGB | CMYK | HSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Luminance: 81.3% | 232, 233, 233 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 9% | 180°, 2%, 91% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 38.9% | 166, 168, 168 | 1%, 0%, 0%, 34% | 180°, 1%, 65% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 12.9% | 99, 101, 101 | 2%, 0%, 0%, 60% | 180°, 1%, 39% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 1.1% | 26, 27, 27 | 4%, 0%, 0%, 89% | 180°, 2%, 10% |
Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Mercury palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.
Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.
| Text on Background | Preview | Ratio | Grade | Safe For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1A1B1B on #E8E9E9 |
Aa Sample Text
| 14.19:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #E8E9E9 on #1A1B1B |
Aa Sample Text
| 14.19:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #1A1B1B on #A6A8A8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 7.22:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #A6A8A8 on #1A1B1B |
Aa Sample Text
| 7.22:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #636565 on #E8E9E9 |
Aa Sample Text
| 4.82:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #E8E9E9 on #636565 |
Aa Sample Text
| 4.82:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #1A1B1B on #636565 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.94:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #636565 on #1A1B1B |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.94:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #636565 on #A6A8A8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.45:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #A6A8A8 on #636565 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.45:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #A6A8A8 on #E8E9E9 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.96:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #E8E9E9 on #A6A8A8 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.96:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
The Mercury palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.
Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.
directly opposite #A6A8A8 on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
30° beside #A6A8A8 — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension
a ink-black carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers
To use this Mercury color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.
:root {
/* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'} --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'} --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'} --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'} --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}Use #E8E9E9 for the main background and #A6A8A8 for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
The contrast ratio between #1A1B1B and #E8E9E9 is 14.19:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.
The Mercury palette contains #E8E9E9, #A6A8A8, #636565, #1A1B1B. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.
Yes for its strongest pairings: #1A1B1B on #E8E9E9 reaches 14.2:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.
Beyond its own four colors, #A7A5A5, #9DA6AF, #141515 extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.
Mercury reads as mono, cool, night. Neutral gray drives the personality, grounded by neutral gray — a combination that works best when the very light base gets most of the canvas.
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Mercury palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.
Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Mercury's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.