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Tower Gray

#A9BCBA

Tower Gray is a cool light color with the hex code #A9BCBA. This muted hue can be represented as RGB 169, 188, 186 in digital design or CMYK 10%, 0%, 1%, 26% for print applications. Find matching Pantone color.

Tower Gray color values

HEX
#A9BCBA
RGB
169, 188, 186
HSL
174°, 12%, 70%
CMYK
10, 0, 1, 26

Shades & tints

Darker Lighter

About this color

Tower Gray sits at 174° on the color wheel with 12% saturation and 70% lightness, placing it in the cyan segment of the spectrum. Its restrained 12% saturation keeps the hue subtle — present but not assertive, making it easy to layer over or under more expressive colors. At medium-high lightness, it holds its own on white backgrounds while remaining approachable.

In digital environments, Tower Gray is rendered as rgb(169, 188, 186), where the green channel leads at 188, with red and blue channels close behind. Muted saturation at high lightness is a classic formula for soft background fills, placeholder states, and secondary surface colors in light-mode interfaces.

For print, Tower Gray translates to a CMYK breakdown of 10C 0M 1Y 26K. With a moderate key (26%), this color uses black to deepen the chromatic channels rather than replace them, a profile that typically holds up well in both offset and digital print. No brands in the brandkit.pro library currently specify this exact hex as a named brand color.

Color harmonies

Complementary

Split-Complementary

How to use Tower Gray

CSS Variable 

:root {
  --brand-primary: #A9BCBA;
  --brand-primary-rgb: 169, 188, 186;
}

Define as a CSS custom property for consistent theming across your site.

Tailwind Config 

colors: {
  brand: '#A9BCBA',
}

Add to your Tailwind config to use classes like bg-brand.

Print Design (CMYK) 

C: 10%
M: 0%
Y: 1%
K: 26%

Use these CMYK values in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, or print specifications.

RGB for Screens 

rgb(169, 188, 186)
rgba(169, 188, 186, 0.8)

Use RGB notation for compatibility or add alpha channel for transparency.

Frequently asked questions

What color is #A9BCBA?
#A9BCBA is Tower Gray, a cool light color with RGB values of 169, 188, 186. It has a hue of 174°, 12% saturation, and 70% lightness in the HSL color space.
What is the RGB value of #A9BCBA?
The RGB color code for #A9BCBA is rgb(169, 188, 186). This means it contains 169 red, 188 green, and 186 blue in the RGB color model.
Is Tower Gray a warm or cool color?
Tower Gray (#A9BCBA) is a cool color with a hue between 120-300° on the color wheel.
How do I use #A9BCBA in CSS?
You can use #A9BCBA in CSS with: background-color: #A9BCBA; or color: #A9BCBA; or as an RGB value: rgb(169, 188, 186). For print design, use CMYK: 10%, 0%, 1%, 26%.

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