What is the hex code for Mineral Gray?

Mineral Gray is #a2b0ad. It appears in 2 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".

What does Mineral Gray look like on white and black backgrounds?

Mineral Gray (#a2b0ad) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 2.25:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 9.35:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Where does the color Mineral Gray come from?

Mineral Gray is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued neutral pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.

Can I use Mineral Gray in my own design or brand?

Yes. The color name and hex value (#a2b0ad) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

#a2b0ad

neutral · 2 palettes

Mineral Gray

About Mineral Gray

Mineral Gray is a mid-tone, near-neutral neutral tone. Its hex value is #a2b0ad — that is RGB 162, 176, 173, or HSL 167°, 8%, 66%.

It holds 9.3:1 contrast against dark, so Mineral Gray works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.2:1; on black 9.3:1.)

Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Mineral Gray appears in 2 combinations — most often paired with Ivory Buff and Pompeian Red.

Palettes with Mineral Gray

Mineral Gray appears in 2 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Mineral Gray

Plate 11 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Mineral Gray.

Showa era

Pompeian Red & Mineral Gray

Plate 30 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pompeian Red, Mineral Gray.

Embed this color

Drop a Mineral Gray swatch card into any blog post, design review, or color-study reference page. Links back to this color's detail.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/colors/mineral-gray/" width="360" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Mineral Gray — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

Preview

From the archive

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