#E5E5E3 · #9C9C9A · #5A5A59 · #181818
Use #E5E5E3 as the background. Use #9C9C9A as the primary accent. Use #5A5A59 as secondary. Use #181818 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Steel Wool — mono, cool, moody, earthy, vintage.
Technical breakdown for the Steel Wool 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: 78.2% | 229, 229, 227 | 0%, 0%, 1%, 10% | 60°, 4%, 89% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 33.2% | 156, 156, 154 | 0%, 0%, 1%, 39% | 60°, 1%, 61% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 10.2% | 90, 90, 89 | 0%, 0%, 1%, 65% | 60°, 1%, 35% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 0.9% | 24, 24, 24 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 91% | 0°, 0%, 9% |
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 Steel Wool 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #181818 on #E5E5E3 |
Aa Sample Text
| 14.08:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #E5E5E3 on #181818 |
Aa Sample Text
| 14.08:1 | AAA | Body text, headings, UI |
| #181818 on #9C9C9A |
Aa Sample Text
| 6.46:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #9C9C9A on #181818 |
Aa Sample Text
| 6.46:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #5A5A59 on #E5E5E3 |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.47:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #E5E5E3 on #5A5A59 |
Aa Sample Text
| 5.47:1 | AA | Body text, UI |
| #181818 on #5A5A59 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.57:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #5A5A59 on #181818 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.57:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #5A5A59 on #9C9C9A |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.51:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #9C9C9A on #5A5A59 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.51:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #9C9C9A on #E5E5E3 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.18:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #E5E5E3 on #9C9C9A |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.18:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
The Steel Wool palette is built using a custom relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
A custom palette is often preferred by professional designers because it balances visual interest with cohesion.
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 #9C9C9A on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
30° beside #9C9C9A — 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 Steel Wool 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 #E5E5E3 for the main background and #9C9C9A for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
The contrast ratio between #181818 and #E5E5E3 is 14.08:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.
The Steel Wool palette contains #E5E5E3, #9C9C9A, #5A5A59, #181818. 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: #181818 on #E5E5E3 reaches 14.1:1 (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, #9B9B9D, #9CA592, #151514 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.
Steel Wool reads as mono, cool, moody. 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 Steel Wool 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 Steel Wool's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.