Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind zinc-50: #FAFAFA
In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-50 is defined as --color-zinc-50: oklch(98.5% 0 none), which is #FAFAFA in hex and rgb(250, 250, 250): a neutral near-white. In Tailwind v3, zinc-50 was #FAFAFA.
In OKLCH, zinc-50 has a lightness of 98.5% and zero chroma: a gray with no hue at all.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #FAFAFA represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, zinc-50 was #FAFAFA. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.0 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
Tailwind zinc is a nearly neutral gray with a faint cool violet cast, sitting between the bluish gray and the hueless neutral.
Color codes for zinc-50
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-zinc-50 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(98.5% 0 none) |
| HEX | #FAFAFA |
| RGB | rgb(250, 250, 250) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 98%) |
| HWB | hwb(0 98% 2%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 2%) |
| Decimal | 16,448,250 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #FAFAFA |
| Utility classes | bg-zinc-50, text-zinc-50, border-zinc-50 |
Tailwind zinc scale
Contrast and accessibility
On zinc-50, black text has a contrast ratio of 20.11:1 and passes AAA at any text size; white text reaches 1.04:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on zinc-50 | 20.11:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 103.0 |
| White text on zinc-50 | 1.04:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
| Zinc-50 text on white | 1.04:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
| Zinc-50 text on black | 20.11:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −104.6 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-zinc-50) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-zinc-50), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#fafafa - 15%
#fbfbfb - 25%
#fbfbfb - 35%
#fcfcfc - 45%
#fcfcfc - 55%
#fdfdfd - 65%
#fdfdfd - 75%
#fefefe - 85%
#fefefe - 95%
#ffffff
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#eeeeee - 15%
#d5d5d5 - 25%
#bcbcbc - 35%
#a3a3a3 - 45%
#8a8a8a - 55%
#707070 - 65%
#585858 - 75%
#3f3f3f - 85%
#262626 - 95%
#0d0d0d
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, zinc-50's complementary color is #FAFAFA (close to snow), its analogous colors are #FAFAFA and #FAFAFA, and its triadic partners are #FAFAFA and #FAFAFA. For text on top, black gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #fafafa |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #fafafa#fafafa |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #fafafa#fafafa |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #fafafa#fafafa |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind zinc-50 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.000, so its temperature comes from context. It has no perceptible hue.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Nearest CSS named colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| snow | #fffafa | 0.7 |
| ghostwhite | #f8f8ff | 1.0 |
| mintcream | #f5fffa | 1.4 |
Nearest Tailwind v4 colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| neutral-50 | #fafafa | 0.0 |
| mauve-50 | #fafafa | 0.0 |
| stone-50 | #fafaf9 | 0.1 |
Code snippets
<div class="bg-zinc-50 text-black">...</div>
<p class="text-zinc-50 border-zinc-50">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-zinc-50);
background-color: oklch(98.5% 0 none);
border-color: #fafafa;
outline-color: rgb(250 250 250);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let zinc50 = Color(red: 0.980, green: 0.980, blue: 0.980)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Zinc50 = Color(0xFFFAFAFA)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const zinc50 = Color(0xFFFAFAFA);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="zinc_50">#FAFAFA</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind zinc-50?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-50 is oklch(98.5% 0 none), which converts to #FAFAFA (rgb(250, 250, 250)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #FAFAFA.
- What is the difference between zinc-50 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #FAFAFA; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(98.5% 0 none). In v3, zinc-50 was #FAFAFA. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.0 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
- How do I use zinc-50 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-zinc-50). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on zinc-50?
- White text on zinc-50 has a contrast ratio of 1.04:1, which fails AA even for large text under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 20.11:1 and passes both AA and AAA. In APCA terms that is Lc 0.0 for white and Lc 103.0 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to zinc-50?
- The closest is snow (#FFFAFA) at ΔE OK 0.7, followed by ghostwhite and mintcream.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.