Information about Gainsboro color

#DCDCDC - Gainsboro color image

The history behind the Color Name Gainsboro

The color named Gainsboro is named after the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. The town was an important center of the textile industry, and the color was used to describe a light gray-blue hue that was popular for use in clothing and linens. The exact shade of the color has changed over time, but it continues to be associated with the town and the textile industry that was once so important there.

Basic facts about this digital color

In the Register's classification, #DCDCDC ("Gainsboro") belongs to the Greyscale Color Family, featuring Desaturated and Luminous brightness. In numbers: rgb(220, 220, 220) (86.3% red, 86.3% green, 86.3% blue), or CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 14 for print. New to color codes? See our guide to RGB color codes.

#DCDCDC presents itself as a quiet, subdued whisper-light neutral — one that is nearly as bright as white. In practice it works well for minimalist layouts, soft backgrounds and pastel palettes. In The Official Register of Color Names it is almost identical to Athens Grey (#DCDDDD). Its next-closest registered neighbors are Porcelain (#DDDCDB) and Pastel Silver (#DBDBDC).

Technically, #DCDCDC is a perfectly balanced RGB mix — red, green and blue all sit at 220, which is what makes it a true neutral. Accessibility-wise, black text works best on #DCDCDC: 15.3:1 contrast (passing WCAG AAA) versus 1.4:1 for white. The name "Gainsboro" is officially recorded for this exact shade in The Official Register of Color Names.

Gainsboro color variations

View this color variations of tints, shades, tones and hues.

Gainsboro color tints

Tints look brighter, pastel, and less intense.
Gainsboro

#DCDCDC
#E2E2E2

Color has no name
#E9E9E9

Color has no name
#F0F0F0

Color has no name
#F7F7F7

Color has no name
White

#FFFFFF

Gainsboro color shades

Shades look darker, richer, and more solid.
Gainsboro

#DCDCDC
#AFAFAF

Color has no name
#838383

Color has no name
#575757

Color has no name
#2B2B2B

Color has no name
Black

#000000

Gainsboro color tones

Tones looks more sophisticated and complex than base colors.
Gainsboro

#DCDCDC
#C8C8C8

Color has no name
#B6B6B6

Color has no name
#A4A4A4

Color has no name
#919191

Color has no name
Grey

#808080

Why this page shows fewer blocks

Gainsboro belongs to the Greyscale Color Family, and greyscale colors have no hue. Hue is an angle on the color wheel, and that angle only exists when a color leans toward one primary more than the others. Here all three channels are equal (R = G = B), so there is nothing to lean and no angle to measure.

Everything built on rotating that angle therefore has nothing to rotate. A complementary color is the hue 180° away — for a grey, that is the same grey. The same goes for analogous, triadic, tetradic and square harmonies. Rather than show seven identical swatches, the register leaves the Hues variation strip and the whole Harmonies section out.

What remains is everything that depends on lightness rather than hue. Tints, shades and tones still work, because they move the color up and down the scale instead of around the wheel. So do the nearest named colors, the conversions and the adjacent color codes.

How the register classifies colors · All greyscale colors in the register

Nearest named colors to Gainsboro

The closest officially registered color names in the Register, ordered by similarity.

Athens Grey color link
Athens Grey

#DCDDDD

Porcelain color link
Porcelain

#DDDCDB

Pastel Silver color link
Pastel Silver

#DBDBDC

Alto color link
Alto

#DBDBDB

House White color link
House White

#DFDDD9

Rolling Fog color link
Rolling Fog

#DAD7DF

Light Silver color link
Light Silver

#D8D8D8

Whitewater color link
Whitewater

#E1E1DC

Light Grey color link
Light Grey

#D8DCD6

Dreamweaver color link
Dreamweaver

#DCD5DE

Eighth Tea color link
Eighth Tea

#E2DED8

Aqua Haze color link
Aqua Haze

#D9DDD5

Gainsboro color backgrounds & wallpapers

Download color wallpaper / background for your Desktop PC, Tablet or Mobile phone.

#DCDCDC - Gainsboro color image Gainsboro color ORCN HD wallpaper 3840x2160 (Desktop)
#DCDCDC - Gainsboro color image Gainsboro color ORCN HD wallpaper 1170x2532 (Mobile)
#DCDCDC - Gainsboro color image Gainsboro color solid HD wallpaper 3840x2160 (Desktop)
#DCDCDC - Gainsboro color image Gainsboro color solid HD wallpaper 1170x2532 (Mobile)

Conversions between color systems and etc.

  • HEX#DCDCDC
  • RGB220, 220, 220
  • CMYK0, 0, 0, 14
  • CSSrgb(220, 220, 220)
  • HSL0°, 0%, 86%
  • HSL Precise0°, 0%, 86.275%
  • HSV0°, 0%, 86%
  • HSB0°, 0%, 86%
  • Normalized R (0.0–1.0)0.863
  • Normalized G (0.0–1.0)0.863
  • Normalized B (0.0–1.0)0.863
  • GLSLvec3(0.863, 0.863, 0.863)
  • GLSL with alphavec4(0.863, 0.863, 0.863, 1.000)
  • HLSL / Metalfloat3(0.863, 0.863, 0.863)
  • Percentage of Red in RGB86.3%
  • Percentage of Green in RGB86.3%
  • Percentage of Blue in RGB86.3%
  • Color FamilyGreyscale
  • Saturation FamilyDesaturated
  • Lightness FamilyLuminous
  • HEX IDDCDCDC
  • DECIMAL ID14474460
  • Name Length9
  • This page visited8 times
  • Counting from2025-01-01

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