Gray 100 Color / Colour Code #F3F4F6
This page shows the hex color code for gray 100 (#F3F4F6). The colour is a neutral tone with 14% saturation and 96% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #F3F4F6 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#F3F4F6 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 190, 220, and 250 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 220, 340, and 100 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #F3F4F6
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 220 and saturation at 14%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 220 to 265 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 220 with its complement at 40 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #F3F4F6
Lightness variations at hue 220 and 14% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #F3F4F6
Design Use Cases for #F3F4F6
Muted Accent Color
With 14% saturation, #F3F4F6 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Near-White Background
At 96% lightness, #F3F4F6 is very close to white but carries a subtle blue tint. This is perfect for alternating row backgrounds in tables, subtle section differentiation, and adding warmth or coolness to an otherwise stark white design.
Trust & Professional Identity
#F3F4F6 sits in the blue range (hue 220). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #F3F4F6 (hue 220) to its complement at hue 40. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 250. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f3f4f6, #f6f5f3);
CSS Code for #F3F4F6
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #F3F4F6 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #F3F4F6 across image editing and color design tools.
About Gray 100 (#F3F4F6)
#F3F4F6 is a neutral color (colour) with RGB channel values of 243 red, 244 green, and 246 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 220 degrees with 14% saturation and 96% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #F3F4F6 is 244/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This means it appears bright to the human eye and is best paired with dark text for readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 1% cyan, 1% magenta, 0% yellow, and 4% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #F3F4F6 against white is 1.10:1 and against black is 19.08:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 19.08:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #F6F5F3 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #F3F4F6. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #F3F6F6 and #F4F3F6, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #F3F4F6
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #F3F4F6?
- #F3F4F6 is Gray 100, a neutral color (colour) with RGB(243, 244, 246), HSL(220, 14%, 96%), and CMYK(1%, 1%, 0%, 4%). Its perceived brightness is 244/255.
- Is #F3F4F6 accessible for text?
- Against white, #F3F4F6 has a contrast ratio of 1.10:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 19.08:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #F3F4F6?
- The complementary colour is #F6F5F3 (hue 40). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #F3F6F6 and #F4F3F6. The triadic palette adds #F6F3F4 and #F4F6F3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #F3F4F6 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #f3f4f6; or rgb(243, 244, 246); or hsl(220, 14%, 96%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 220 14% 96%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.