Gray 50 Color / Colour Code #F9FAFB
This page shows the hex color code for gray 50 (#F9FAFB). The colour is a neutral tone with 20% saturation and 98% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #F9FAFB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#F9FAFB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 180, 210, and 240 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 210, 330, and 90 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #F9FAFB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 210 and saturation at 20%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 210 to 255 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 210 with its complement at 30 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 #F9FAFB
Lightness variations at hue 210 and 20% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #F9FAFB
Design Use Cases for #F9FAFB
Muted Accent Color
With 20% saturation, #F9FAFB 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 98% lightness, #F9FAFB 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
#F9FAFB sits in the blue range (hue 210). 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 #F9FAFB (hue 210) to its complement at hue 30. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 240. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f9fafb, #fbfaf9);
CSS Code for #F9FAFB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #F9FAFB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #F9FAFB across image editing and color design tools.
About Gray 50 (#F9FAFB)
#F9FAFB is a neutral color (colour) with RGB channel values of 249 red, 250 green, and 251 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 210 degrees with 20% saturation and 98% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #F9FAFB is 250/255 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, 0% magenta, 0% yellow, and 2% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #F9FAFB against white is 1.05:1 and against black is 20.10:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 20.10:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #FBFAF9 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #F9FAFB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #F9FBFB and #F9F9FB, 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 #F9FAFB
- 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 #F9FAFB?
- #F9FAFB is Gray 50, a neutral color (colour) with RGB(249, 250, 251), HSL(210, 20%, 98%), and CMYK(1%, 0%, 0%, 2%). Its perceived brightness is 250/255.
- Is #F9FAFB accessible for text?
- Against white, #F9FAFB has a contrast ratio of 1.05:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 20.10:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #F9FAFB?
- The complementary colour is #FBFAF9 (hue 30). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #F9FBFB and #F9F9FB. The triadic palette adds #FBF9FA and #FAFBF9 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #F9FAFB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #f9fafb; or rgb(249, 250, 251); or hsl(210, 20%, 98%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 210 20% 98%; 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.