Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind zinc-500: #71717B
In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-500 is defined as --color-zinc-500: oklch(55.2% 0.016 285.938), which is #71717B in hex and rgb(113, 113, 123): a medium-dark, grayish blue. In Tailwind v3, zinc-500 was #71717A.
In OKLCH, zinc-500 has a lightness of 55.2%, chroma 0.016 and hue 285.9°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #71717B represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, zinc-500 was #71717A. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.2 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-500
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-zinc-500 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(55.2% 0.016 285.938) |
| HEX | #71717B |
| RGB | rgb(113, 113, 123) |
| HSL | hsl(240, 4%, 46%) |
| HWB | hwb(240 44% 52%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(8%, 8%, 0%, 52%) |
| Decimal | 7,434,619 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #71717A |
| Utility classes | bg-zinc-500, text-zinc-500, border-zinc-500 |
Tailwind zinc scale
Contrast and accessibility
On zinc-500, white text has a contrast ratio of 4.82:1 and passes AA for normal text; black text reaches 4.35:1.
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-500 | 4.35:1 | Fail | Pass | Fail | Fail | 30.6 |
| White text on zinc-500 | 4.82:1 | Pass | Pass | Fail | Pass | −78.9 |
| Zinc-500 text on white | 4.82:1 | Pass | Pass | Fail | Pass | 73.5 |
| Zinc-500 text on black | 4.35:1 | Fail | Pass | Fail | Fail | −28.2 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-zinc-500) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-zinc-500), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#787882 - 15%
#86868f - 25%
#95959c - 35%
#a3a3a9 - 45%
#b1b1b6 - 55%
#bfbfc4 - 65%
#cdcdd1 - 75%
#dcdcde - 85%
#eaeaeb - 95%
#f8f8f8
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#6b6b75 - 15%
#606069 - 25%
#55555c - 35%
#494950 - 45%
#3e3e44 - 55%
#333337 - 65%
#28282b - 75%
#1c1c1f - 85%
#111112 - 95%
#060606
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, zinc-500's complementary color is #737368 (close to dimgray), its analogous colors are #6C737C and #766F79, and its triadic partners are #7B6F6A and #6A7570. For text on top, white gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #737368 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #6c737c#766f79 |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #7b6f6a#6a7570 |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #787168#6e746b |
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-500 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.016, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 240° hue gives it a slightly cool cast.
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.
Code snippets
<div class="bg-zinc-500 text-white">...</div>
<p class="text-zinc-500 border-zinc-500">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-zinc-500);
background-color: oklch(55.2% 0.016 285.938);
border-color: #71717b;
outline-color: rgb(113 113 123);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let zinc500 = Color(red: 0.443, green: 0.443, blue: 0.482)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Zinc500 = Color(0xFF71717B)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const zinc500 = Color(0xFF71717B);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="zinc_500">#71717B</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind zinc-500?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-500 is oklch(55.2% 0.016 285.938), which converts to #71717B (rgb(113, 113, 123)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #71717A.
- What is the difference between zinc-500 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #71717A; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(55.2% 0.016 285.938). In v3, zinc-500 was #71717A. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.2 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
- How do I use zinc-500 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-zinc-500). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on zinc-500?
- White text on zinc-500 has a contrast ratio of 4.82:1, which passes AA for normal text but not AAA under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 4.35:1 and passes AA only for large text (24 px, or 18.66 px bold, and up). In APCA terms that is Lc −78.9 for white and Lc 30.6 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to zinc-500?
- The closest is dimgray (#696969) at ΔE OK 3.5, followed by slategray and gray.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.