Gray Color Meaning | Connotations & Code

You make gray by mixing black and white paint or—on screens—by setting the red, green, and blue values to the same level. A perfectly neutral gray has no color tint (no hue you could put a name to like “orange,” “purple,” or “yellow”)—it’s just lighter or darker, from white through mid-gray to black.

To find shades of pure gray using a color wheel tool like QuillBot’s free online color wheel, enter #000000 as your base color and move the slider around the outer wheel.

Humanize AI for free

Is gray a color?

In most contexts, gray is considered a color. For example, in art, design, and everyday speech, “gray” is a color name we use to describe a paint, an ink, or how something looks.

However, in some technical contexts, the word “color” is used to mean “hue” (red, blue, yellow, etc.). In that narrower sense, perfectly neutral grays aren’t considered a “color” because they have no hue—only lightness, ranging from white to black.

What does gray symbolize?

In branding design, you can use gray as a neutral color to express restraint, sophistication, modernity, competence, and reliability. Shades of gray can also feel premium and refined, and convey simplicity and clarity.

In interior design, gray works well as a versatile foundation to nearly any palette. Cool grays can lend a crisp, contemporary feel, while warm grays (e.g., with undertones of red, yellow, or brown) can help to make spaces feel calmer and more inviting.

Gray color code

Here is a list of the gray hex codes for CSS color names:

• #A9A9A9 for DarkGray
• #2F4F4F for DarkSlateGray
• #696969 for DimGray
• #DCDCDC for Gainsboro
• #808080 for Gray
• #D3D3D3 for LightGray
• #778899 for LightSlateGray
• #C0C0C0 for Silver
• #708090 for SlateGray

The CSS colors SlateGray and LightSlateGray aren’t pure grays, as they contain some blue.

Color conversion

Color variations

Gray color palette

Here are some gray color combinations you can experiment with to create a gray color palette for your project.

Cool slate gray, clean blue, teal, and soft white for crisp, efficient, and contemporary

If you want to view and refine these colors in QuillBot’s color wheel tool, enter the code #4B5563 for cool slate gray, #2563EB for clean blue, #14B8A6 for teal, and #F8FAFC for soft white.

Warm charcoal, champagne, deep navy, and muted rose for elegant, refined, and luxurious

If you want to view and refine these colors in QuillBot’s color wheel tool, enter the code #2F2F2F for warm charcoal, #E7D7B8 for champagne, #0B1F3A for deep navy, and #C08A8A for muted rose.

Soft greige, sage green, clay terracotta, and cream for grounded, soothing, and organic

If you want to view and refine these colors in QuillBot’s color wheel tool, enter the code #B8B1A9 for soft greige, #7A9E7E for sage green, #C46A4A for clay terracotta, and #F5F0E6 for cream.

Neutral mid gray, coral, sunshine yellow, and cobalt for playful, confident, and attention-grabbing

If you want to view and refine these colors in QuillBot’s color wheel tool, enter the code #6B7280 for neutral mid gray, #FF6B6B for coral, #FBBF24 for sunshine yellow, and #1D4ED8 for cobalt.