Ironside `#7E8082`

Ironside (#7E8082) is a grey neutral with an OKLCH hue of 248°, lightness 0.6 and chroma 0.004. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.

Color values

HEX	`#7E8082`
RGB	`rgb(126, 128, 130)`
HSL	`hsl(210, 2%, 50%)`
HSV	`hsv(210, 3%, 51%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(3%, 2%, 0%, 49%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(53.5 -0.3 -1.3)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.599 0.004 248)`

How Ironside behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Ironside shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #837d79 — ΔE 1.4, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #83817f — ΔE 1.0, is virtually unchanged
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #7e8082 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Blue-sky shade (cool daylight (~10000K proxy)): → #7e8184 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged

Test Ironside in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 3.96:1 and against black 5.3:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.

Colors that go with Ironside

Tonal

One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.

#d6d7d9 · #b2b3b5 · #8f9193 · #7e8082 · #4f5052 · #323334

Analogous

The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.

#7aaebc · #679ab4 · #7e8082 · #5a6e97 · #565981 · #4f4669

Shifted

The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.

#c4b3e7 · #a199b2 · #7e8082 · #456686 · #2c4a66 · #31293f

Contrast

One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.

#d5eaff · #d9b085 · #7e8082 · #56626d · #304457 · #1c2732

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#f7f1ea · #949ca4 · #7e8082 · #696561 · #232b33 · #020100

Bright Accent

This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.

#f1f2f3 · #b3b4b5 · #7e8082 · #555758 · #38393b · #f3a649

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#fcefe2 · #b49473 · #7e8082 · #825d34 · #3e2300 · #00030d

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#fcefe2 · #bd8f80 · #7e8082 · #716630 · #441d11 · #040200

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#ffecef · #bc8c94 · #7e8082 · #596e3e · #213008 · #060001

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#fdecf7 · #b48da8 · #7e8082 · #825d34 · #03331d · #130600

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#949597 · #a9aaac · #bfc0c1 · #d4d5d5 · #eaeaea

Shades

#696b6c · #545557 · #3f4041 · #2a2b2b · #151516

Using Ironside

Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors.