Nickel `#929292`

Nickel (#929292) is a grey neutral with an OKLCH hue of 90°, lightness 0.66 and chroma 0. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.

Color values

HEX	`#929292`
RGB	`rgb(146, 146, 146)`
HSL	`hsl(0, 0%, 57%)`
HSV	`hsv(0, 0%, 57%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 43%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(60.6 0 0)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.660 0.000 90)`

How Nickel behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Nickel 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 ≈ 1.6), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #988e88 — ΔE 1.6, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #97938f — ΔE 0.9, is virtually unchanged
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #929292 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Blue-sky shade (cool daylight (~10000K proxy)): → #929394 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged

Test Nickel 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 3.11:1 and against black 6.75:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.

Colors that go with Nickel

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.

#ebebeb · #c3c3c3 · #929292 · #777777 · #535353 · #333333

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.

#b1be94 · #aaa877 · #929292 · #997a50 · #8b6549 · #7a5343

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.

#a4b8a2 · #929292 · #837348 · #3f633b · #493b13 · #182916

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.

#e2d7b9 · #bab4a4 · #929292 · #495784 · #3d351e · #1f1a0c

Quiet Support

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

#eff2f9 · #929292 · #7b776e · #46484c · #201d13 · #010102

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.

#f2f2f2 · #c9c9c9 · #929292 · #222222 · #030303 · #e7c04d

Complementary

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

#edf2ff · #929292 · #69769b · #384570 · #111a3a · #0b0500

Split-complementary

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

#edf2ff · #929292 · #567c97 · #4e3e6a · #001f34 · #020006

Triadic

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

#e1f6fa · #929292 · #4a818b · #5e385b · #2d102b · #000305

Tetradic

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

#e3f7f2 · #929292 · #4e8379 · #384570 · #330d1c · #000008

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#a4a4a4 · #b6b6b6 · #c9c9c9 · #dbdbdb · #ededed

Shades

#7a7a7a · #616161 · #494949 · #313131 · #181818

Using Nickel

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