Colors Encyclopedia

HEX atlas value

#696969

#696969 is a neutral gray HEX color close to Dim Gray. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it converts to RGB 105, 105, 105, HSL 0, 0%, 41%, has luminance 0.1413, and belongs to the muted group.

grayneutralmuted
#696969 Sample readable text
HEX #696969
RGB rgb(105, 105, 105)
HSL hsl(0 0% 41%)
CMYK cmyk(0, 0, 0, 59)
Luminance 0.1413
Contrast Black 3.83:1White 5.49:1

CSS

--color-696969: #696969;
.background-696969 { background-color: #696969; }
.text-696969 { color: #696969; }

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable HEX Data (JSON)

Structured HEX color data for conversion, WCAG checks, CSS generation, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.1413
Black text3.83:1AA Fail
White text5.49:1AA Pass
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{"hex":"#696969","rgb":[105,105,105],"hsl":[0,0,41],"cmyk":[0,0,0,59],"luminance":0.1413,"contrast":{"black":3.83,"white":5.49}}
WCAG
{"AA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"AAA":[]}
Safe pairings
[{"name":"Black text","hex":"#000000","contrast":3.83,"wcagAA":false,"wcagAAA":false},{"name":"White text","hex":"#FFFFFF","contrast":5.49,"wcagAA":true,"wcagAAA":false}]
Accessible alternatives
[{"name":"#3B3B3B","hex":"#3B3B3B","family":"gray","bestTextColor":"#FFFFFF","contrastBlack":1.87,"contrastWhite":11.21,"wcagAA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"wcagAAA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"]},{"name":"#969696","hex":"#969696","family":"gray","bestTextColor":"#000000","contrastBlack":7.1,"contrastWhite":2.96,"wcagAA":["#000000","#1A1A1A"],"wcagAAA":["#000000"]},{"name":"#805252","hex":"#805252","family":"red","bestTextColor":"#FFFFFF","contrastBlack":3.25,"contrastWhite":6.47,"wcagAA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"wcagAAA":[]},{"name":"Granite","hex":"#676767","family":"gray","bestTextColor":"#FFFFFF","contrastBlack":3.71,"contrastWhite":5.66,"wcagAA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"wcagAAA":[]},{"name":"Machinery Gray","hex":"#6C6F70","family":"gray","bestTextColor":"#FFFFFF","contrastBlack":4.15,"contrastWhite":5.07,"wcagAA":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"wcagAAA":[]}]
AI context
{"semanticGroups":["neutral gray","muted","muted gray","Dim Gray adjacent"],"useCases":["color conversion","WCAG contrast checks","CSS color tokens","muted interface themes","neutral UI systems"],"contrastSafeWith":["#FFFFFF","#F5F5F5"],"relatedEndpoints":["https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/hex/696969.json","https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/hex.json","https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dim-gray.json","https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dim-grey.json","https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/granite.json"]}
Harmonies
{"complementary":"#696969","analogous":["#696969","#696969"],"triadic":["#696969","#696969"],"tetradic":["#696969","#696969","#696969"],"splitComplementary":["#696969","#696969"],"monochromatic":["#969696","#696969","#3B3B3B"]}
Variants
{"light":"#969696","dark":"#3B3B3B","saturated":"#805252","desaturated":"#696969","pastel":"#A8A8A8","neon":"#FA0000"}
Nearest named colors
[{"slug":"dim-gray","name":"Dim Gray","hex":"#696969","distance":0},{"slug":"dim-grey","name":"Dim Grey","hex":"#696969","distance":0},{"slug":"granite","name":"Granite","hex":"#676767","distance":3.4641016151377544},{"slug":"machinery-gray","name":"Machinery Gray","hex":"#6C6F70","distance":9.695359714832659},{"slug":"nickel","name":"Nickel","hex":"#727472","distance":16.822603841260722}]
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

HEX meaning and use

About #696969

#696969 is classified as a neutral gray value with muted visual character. #696969 is visually closest to Dim Gray, a named gray color with HEX #696969.

The RGB channels are 105, 105, and 105, with red carrying the strongest channel weight. In HSL, the hue is 0deg with 0% saturation and 41% lightness, so this page treats it as a low-saturation, mid-lightness atlas color rather than a generic swatch.

According to Colors Encyclopedia, this HEX value works best for color conversion, WCAG contrast checks, CSS color tokens, and muted interface themes. Its luminance is 0.1413, white text provides the stronger contrast for readable interface or documentation use, and Its nearest named-color distance is 0.00, which helps separate this atlas value from adjacent named color records.

WCAG Accessibility

Black text3.83:1AA Fail
White text5.49:1AA Pass

AA text options: #FFFFFF, #F5F5F5.

AAA text options: none in seed set.

Accessibility-Safe Pairings and Alternatives

Use these pairings when #696969 needs readable text, badges, interface states, or nearby accessible alternatives.

Black text#0000003.83:1 · Fail
White text#FFFFFF5.49:1 · AA

Accessible Alternatives

#3B3B3B#FFFFFF text · best 11.21:1#3B3B3B
#969696#000000 text · best 7.1:1#969696
#805252#FFFFFF text · best 6.47:1#805252
Granite#FFFFFF text · best 5.66:1#676767
Machinery Gray#FFFFFF text · best 5.07:1#6C6F70

Generated Palette

Dim Grey#696969
#969696#969696
#3B3B3B#3B3B3B

Color Harmonies

Dim Grey#696969
Dim Grey#696969
Dim Grey#696969
Dim Grey#696969
Dim Grey#696969

Variants

#969696#969696
#3B3B3B#3B3B3B
#805252#805252
Dim Grey#696969
#A8A8A8#A8A8A8
#FA0000#FA0000

Nearest Named Colors

Dim Gray#696969
Dim Grey#696969
Granite#676767
Machinery Gray#6C6F70
Nickel#727472

Related HEX Guides

Dim Gray colorOpen the nearest named color reference for #696969.Dim Grey colorOpen the nearest named color reference for #696969.Granite colorOpen the nearest named color reference for #676767.Gray color familyBrowse named gray colors related to this HEX value.Neutral colorsExplore colors with similar temperature behavior.Muted colorsFind colors in the muted group.Color palettesBrowse palette systems related to generated color combinations.Compare colorsCompare named colors near this HEX value.Accessible colorsBrowse WCAG-friendly named colors and safe text options.#696969 APIOpen the machine-readable JSON record for this HEX value.