WCAG accessibility

Iron Accessibility

Iron #48494B contrast: 2.33:1 with black and 9.01:1 with white. White is stronger; review AA/AAA status, pairings and alternatives.

Iron (#48494B) measures 2.33:1 against black and 9.01:1 against white. It clears both the 4.5:1 AA and 7:1 AAA thresholds for normal text with white. White is the stronger standard foreground; black measures 2.33:1. Retest after adding opacity, gradients, images or overlays.

Color page #48494B gray

Black contrast2.33:1 · fail

White contrast9.01:1 · AAA

AA options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5

AAA options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5

Luminance0.0665

Best standard text#FFFFFF

Accessibility-Safe Pairings

Foreground and background pairings that reach at least WCAG AA contrast against Iron.

Safe Text Colors

White text#FFFFFF · 9.01:1 · AAASoft white text#F5F5F5 · 8.27:1 · AAA

Safe Background Colors

White#FFFFFF · 9.01:1 · AAAWhite Smoke#F5F5F5 · 8.27:1 · AAA

Accessibility Issues and Warnings

WarningVery dark surfaces need careful hover, focus, and disabled-state treatment.

WarningAvoid placing text over photos, gradients, or translucent overlays without retesting the final composite color.

Accessibility in UI Components

ButtonUse checked foreground text and a visible focus ring.

BadgePrefer bold labels and enough horizontal padding.

Card borderUse as a non-text accent when text contrast is tight.

Accessibility Alternatives

Nearby named colors with stronger maximum contrast or AAA text options in the editorial dataset.

Charcoal#36454FBest 9.9:1Pine Needle#334D41Best 9.22:1Dark Slate Gray#2F4F4FBest 8.93:1Asphalt Gray#4B4B4BBest 8.72:1Basalt#4B4C4CBest 8.61:1

Luminance0.0665

Black text2.33:1AA Fail

White text9.01:1AA Pass

contrastBlack and white contrast ratios

ratingsWCAG rating by foreground color

wcagAA and AAA text options

safePairingsText, background, and border pairings

warningsPractical accessibility risks

accessibilityAlternativesNearby stronger named colors

Structured sections

Contrast

{
  "contrast": {
    "black": 2.33,
    "white": 9.01
  },
  "ratings": {
    "blackText": "fail",
    "whiteText": "AAA"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  }
}

Safe pairings

{
  "text": [
    {
      "label": "White text",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "ratio": 9.01,
      "rating": "AAA"
    },
    {
      "label": "Soft white text",
      "hex": "#F5F5F5",
      "ratio": 8.27,
      "rating": "AAA"
    }
  ],
  "backgrounds": [
    {
      "label": "White",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "ratio": 9.01,
      "rating": "AAA"
    },
    {
      "label": "White Smoke",
      "hex": "#F5F5F5",
      "ratio": 8.27,
      "rating": "AAA"
    }
  ],
  "borders": []
}

Warnings

[
  "Very dark surfaces need careful hover, focus, and disabled-state treatment.",
  "Avoid placing text over photos, gradients, or translucent overlays without retesting the final composite color."
]

Alternatives

[
  {
    "slug": "charcoal",
    "name": "Charcoal",
    "hex": "#36454F",
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "cool",
    "tone": [
      "dark",
      "neutral"
    ],
    "blackContrast": 2.12,
    "whiteContrast": 9.9,
    "maxContrast": 9.9,
    "aaaTextOptions": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/charcoal/"
  },
  {
    "slug": "pine-needle",
    "name": "Pine Needle",
    "hex": "#334D41",
    "family": "green",
    "temperature": "cool",
    "tone": [
      "muted",
      "earth-tone"
    ],
    "blackContrast": 2.28,
    "whiteContrast": 9.22,
    "maxContrast": 9.22,
    "aaaTextOptions": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/pine-needle/"
  },
  {
    "slug": "dark-slate-gray",
    "name": "Dark Slate Gray",
    "hex": "#2F4F4F",
    "family": "cyan",
    "temperature": "cool",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "blackContrast": 2.35,
    "whiteContrast": 8.93,
    "maxContrast": 8.93,
    "aaaTextOptions": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/dark-slate-gray/"
  },
  {
    "slug": "asphalt-gray",
    "name": "Asphalt Gray",
    "hex": "#4B4B4B",
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "blackContrast": 2.41,
    "whiteContrast": 8.72,
    "maxContrast": 8.72,
    "aaaTextOptions": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/asphalt-gray/"
  },
  {
    "slug": "basalt",
    "name": "Basalt",
    "hex": "#4B4C4C",
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "blackContrast": 2.44,
    "whiteContrast": 8.61,
    "maxContrast": 8.61,
    "aaaTextOptions": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/basalt/"
  }
]

Component guidance

[
  {
    "component": "Buttons",
    "guidance": "Use only with AA-passing foreground text and visible focus states."
  },
  {
    "component": "Badges",
    "guidance": "Works best with bold labels and enough padding around text."
  },
  {
    "component": "Cards",
    "guidance": "Use as a surface when paired with a tested text color and clear border."
  },
  {
    "component": "Alerts",
    "guidance": "Pair with icons or labels; do not rely on color alone."
  },
  {
    "component": "Form fields",
    "guidance": "Use for borders or focus rings only when contrast remains visible."
  }
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "iron",
  "name": "Iron",
  "hex": "#48494B",
  "rgb": [
    72,
    73,
    75
  ],
  "hsl": [
    220,
    2,
    29
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0665,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 2.33,
    "white": 9.01
  },
  "ratings": {
    "blackText": "fail",
    "whiteText": "AAA"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  },
  "narrative": "Iron has strong WCAG behavior because it reaches AAA contrast with #FFFFFF and #F5F5F5 text. It can be used for normal text, badges, compact UI, and interface components when paired with the listed foreground colors.",
  "warnings": [
    "Very dark surfaces need careful hover, focus, and disabled-state treatment.",
    "Avoid placing text over photos, gradients, or translucent overlays without retesting the final composite color."
  ],
  "safePairings": {
    "text": [
      {
        "label": "White text",
        "hex": "#FFFFFF",
        "ratio": 9.01,
        "rating": "AAA"
      },
      {
        "label": "Soft white text",
        "hex": "#F5F5F5",
        "ratio": 8.27,
        "rating": "AAA"
      }
    ],
    "backgrounds": [
      {
        "label": "White",
        "hex": "#FFFFFF",
        "ratio": 9.01,
        "rating": "AAA"
      },
      {
        "label": "White Smoke",
        "hex": "#F5F5F5",
        "ratio": 8.27,
        "rating": "AAA"
      }
    ],
    "borders": []
  },
  "accessibilityAlternatives": [
    {
      "slug": "charcoal",
      "name": "Charcoal",
      "hex": "#36454F",
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "cool",
      "tone": [
        "dark",
        "neutral"
      ],
      "blackContrast": 2.12,
      "whiteContrast": 9.9,
      "maxContrast": 9.9,
      "aaaTextOptions": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/charcoal/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pine-needle",
      "name": "Pine Needle",
      "hex": "#334D41",
      "family": "green",
      "temperature": "cool",
      "tone": [
        "muted",
        "earth-tone"
      ],
      "blackContrast": 2.28,
      "whiteContrast": 9.22,
      "maxContrast": 9.22,
      "aaaTextOptions": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/pine-needle/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "dark-slate-gray",
      "name": "Dark Slate Gray",
      "hex": "#2F4F4F",
      "family": "cyan",
      "temperature": "cool",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "blackContrast": 2.35,
      "whiteContrast": 8.93,
      "maxContrast": 8.93,
      "aaaTextOptions": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/dark-slate-gray/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "asphalt-gray",
      "name": "Asphalt Gray",
      "hex": "#4B4B4B",
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "blackContrast": 2.41,
      "whiteContrast": 8.72,
      "maxContrast": 8.72,
      "aaaTextOptions": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/asphalt-gray/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "basalt",
      "name": "Basalt",
      "hex": "#4B4C4C",
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "blackContrast": 2.44,
      "whiteContrast": 8.61,
      "maxContrast": 8.61,
      "aaaTextOptions": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/basalt/"
    }
  ],
  "componentGuidance": [
    {
      "component": "Buttons",
      "guidance": "Use only with AA-passing foreground text and visible focus states."
    },
    {
      "component": "Badges",
      "guidance": "Works best with bold labels and enough padding around text."
    },
    {
      "component": "Cards",
      "guidance": "Use as a surface when paired with a tested text color and clear border."
    },
    {
      "component": "Alerts",
      "guidance": "Pair with icons or labels; do not rely on color alone."
    },
    {
      "component": "Form fields",
      "guidance": "Use for borders or focus rings only when contrast remains visible."
    }
  ],
  "relatedEndpoints": [
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/wcag/iron.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/wcag/iron/",
  "colorUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/iron/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/wcag/iron.json"
}