Steel Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #E0E5E5
RGB: 224, 229, 229
HEX: #CED3D4
RGB: 206, 211, 212
HEX: #C0C6C7
RGB: 192, 198, 199
HEX: #A8B0B2
RGB: 168, 176, 178
HEX: #99A3A3
RGB: 153, 163, 163
Text on White/Black Backgrounds
Color Pair Combinations (10 total)
WCAG Contrast Standards:
- AAA (7:1): Enhanced contrast for maximum readability
- AA (4.5:1): Minimum for normal text (under 18pt)
- AA Large (3:1): Acceptable for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
- Fail: Below WCAG standards, not recommended for text
Recommended Text Colors
Horizontal (Left to Right)
background: linear-gradient(to right, #E0E5E5 0%, #CED3D4 25%, #C0C6C7 50%, #A8B0B2 75%, #99A3A3 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #E0E5E5 0%, #CED3D4 25%, #C0C6C7 50%, #A8B0B2 75%, #99A3A3 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #E0E5E5 0%, #CED3D4 25%, #C0C6C7 50%, #A8B0B2 75%, #99A3A3 100%);Usage Tips:
- Copy the CSS code and paste directly into your stylesheets
- Linear gradients work great for backgrounds and hero sections
- Radial gradients are perfect for spotlights and focus effects
- Conic gradients create eye-catching loading spinners and progress indicators
- Smooth transitions ensure seamless color blending
Normal Vision
No color vision deficiency
Color Swatches
#E0E5E5
#CED3D4
#C0C6C7
#A8B0B2
#99A3A3
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Calm, professional, and trustworthy, with an airy and optimistic feel
Emotional Impact
Calming and contemplative, promoting feelings of trust, stability, and peace. The light tones create an uplifting, optimistic atmosphere perfect for approachable brands
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a calm, professional, and trustworthy, with an airy and optimistic feel. The combination works together to create memorable visual experiences that influence consumer perception, decision-making, and brand recall. The rich variety provides versatility while maintaining cohesive emotional messaging across touchpoints.
Brand Personality Traits
Perfect For These Industries
Target Audience
Affluent consumers seeking premium, high-quality products and experiences. Appeals to those seeking approachable, positive, and optimistic brands
Individual Color Psychology
#E0E5E5
Clean and minimal
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Creates sense of space and simplicity. Used in minimalist designs, medical fields, and luxury brands. Provides contrast and breathing room.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines light & airy and balanced moods with neutral and cool tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This monochromatic steel palette features 5 carefully selected cool tones that create a calm and professional aesthetic. With low contrast levels and muted saturation, this palette is optimized for corporate branding and business websites.
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. Consider adding darker variants for better text readability.
- Apply the 60-30-10 rule for visual hierarchy
- Use accent colors for CTAs and hover states
- Maintain consistent color usage across all pages
- Test responsive behavior on multiple devices
Mobile App Interfaces
In mobile applications, these cool tones provide excellent readability in bright conditions. Use the subtle color variations to define clear touch targets.
- Design both light and dark mode variants
- Consider thumb-reach zones for color placement
- Test under direct sunlight and low light
- Use color to indicate interactive elements
Brand Identity Systems
Build a cohesive brand identity by designating specific colors for specific purposes. Establish your primary brand color from the most distinctive shade and create comprehensive brand guidelines specifying exact usage scenarios.
- Define primary, secondary, and accent colors
- Create usage rules for marketing materials
- Specify minimum sizes and clear space
- Document do's and don'ts for consistency
Frontend Development
Developers can integrate this palette efficiently using modern CSS techniques. Export as CSS variables for maximum flexibility, allowing theme switching and dynamic color updates without rewriting stylesheets.
- Use CSS custom properties for theming
- Implement semantic color naming conventions
- Create utility classes for rapid prototyping
- Consider CSS-in-JS for component-scoped colors
Print Design
For print materials, convert to CMYK using #E0E5E5 as the dominant color for headers and #99A3A3 for accents. These colors translate well to print with minimal adjustment.
- Add to your design software color library
- Create swatches for quick color access
- Use CMYK values for print production
- Request color proofs before final print
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing materials benefit from consistent color usage that reinforces brand recognition. Apply this palette across email campaigns, landing pages, advertisements, and social media for maximum impact and memorability.
- Maintain color consistency across channels
- A/B test color variations for conversion
- Consider cultural color associations
- Align colors with campaign messaging
Strategic Color Distribution
Professional designers follow the 60-30-10 rule for balanced color distribution. Here's how to apply this principle with the Steel:
Dominant Color
#E0E5E5Use #E0E5E5 as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This white tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#C0C6C7Apply #C0C6C7 as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#99A3A3Reserve #99A3A3 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This gray accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Add white or black text overlays to improve readability on colored backgrounds
- •Add warm accent colors to create focal points and prevent designs from feeling too cold
- •Test your palette across different devices and lighting conditions before finalizing
✗ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- •Don't use all colors equally—establish clear visual hierarchy through color weight
- •Avoid low-contrast text combinations that strain readability
- •Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning (use icons, text, and patterns too)
- •Avoid inconsistent color usage across different pages or screens
- •Don't assume screen colors match print output—always request physical proofs
Palette Overview & Statistics
5
Total Colors
2
Associated Tags
6
Categories
555
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This monochromatic palette creates a calm and professional aesthetic perfect for corporate branding and business websites.
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this cool palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The low contrast and muted saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#E0E5E5
WHITE
#E0E5E5 serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This light white (muted) brings cleanliness and simplicity Use it for backgrounds, containers, and large surface areas.
Light toneH: 180°S: 9%L: 89%#CED3D4
WHITE
#CED3D4 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light white (muted) brings cleanliness and simplicity Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 190°S: 7%L: 82%#C0C6C7
GRAY
#C0C6C7 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 189°S: 6%L: 77%#A8B0B2
GRAY
#A8B0B2 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 192°S: 6%L: 68%#99A3A3
GRAY
#99A3A3 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Light toneH: 180°S: 5%L: 62%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Cool tones convey professionalism, trust, and calmness. Ideal for corporate and tech applications.
Low contrast creates subtle, sophisticated aesthetics but requires careful attention to text legibility.
Muted saturation offers sophistication and reduces visual fatigue, ideal for content-heavy applications.
Light palette creates airy, open designs with excellent readability for dark text overlays.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: corporate branding, business websites, minimalist designs, health & wellness. The monochromatic color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a calm and professional feeling, making it ideal for brands seeking to convey those qualities.
- Accessibility: Test text combinations carefully with contrast checkers to ensure accessibility compliance.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Cool tones are generally perceived as professional worldwide but always research cultural color meanings.
Export Formats
Explore Steel Palette
The Steel color palette is a masterful blend of soft, serene hues that evoke a sense of calmness and tranquility, perfect for designs that require a soothing and gentle aesthetic. At its core, this palette is about creating a visual experience that is both understated and sophisticated, making it an ideal choice for a wide range of design applications. The colors in this palette, ranging from the pale e0e5e5 to the deeper a8b0b2, work together in harmony to create a sense of balance and cohesion, drawing the viewer in with their subtle nuances and gentle contrasts.
As we delve deeper into the palette, we can appreciate the unique characteristics of each color and how they contribute to the overall aesthetic. The lightest shade, e0e5e5, provides a clean and airy backdrop, while the slightly darker ced3d4 adds a touch of warmth and depth. The c0c6c7 shade serves as a bridge between the lighter and darker colors, creating a sense of continuity and flow. The a8b0b2 and 99a3a3 shades, with their subtle blue undertones, introduce a sense of coolness and serenity, reminiscent of light blue and turquoise hues. Each color plays a vital role in the palette, and their combination results in a visually appealing and harmonious color scheme.
The Steel palette is incredibly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of design contexts, from websites and apps to branding and marketing materials. Its monochromatic and muted nature makes it an excellent choice for designs that require a sense of subtlety and restraint, such as wedding websites or luxury branding. The palette's cool and light tones also make it well-suited for designs that need to convey a sense of calmness and serenity, such as healthcare or wellness applications. Whether used as a primary color scheme or as an accent palette, the Steel palette is sure to add a touch of sophistication and elegance to any design.
The colors in the Steel palette have a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior, influencing emotions and moods in subtle yet powerful ways. The soft blues and turquoises in the palette are known to evoke feelings of trust and loyalty, making them an excellent choice for designs that require building relationships with users. The pale and muted tones also have a calming effect, reducing stress and anxiety while promoting a sense of relaxation and focus. By incorporating the Steel palette into their designs, developers and designers can create user experiences that are not only visually appealing but also emotionally resonant and engaging.
For designers looking to get the most out of the Steel palette, it's essential to consider complementary colors and pairing suggestions to create a rich and dynamic visual experience. The palette's cool tones can be beautifully offset by warm neutrals, such as beige or taupe, while its light blues and turquoises can be accentuated by deeper, richer blues. When pairing the Steel palette with other colors, it's essential to strike a balance between contrast and harmony, avoiding visual overload while creating a sense of visual interest and depth. By following these design best practices and experimenting with different combinations, designers can unlock the full potential of the Steel palette and create designs that are both beautiful and effective.
Palette Image
Below is the generated palette image showing all colors in a vertical layout. Perfect for sharing on social media or using as a reference.
Categories & Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using and implementing the steel palette effectively in your projects.