#97999B
Pantone Solid Coated

Pantone Cool Gray 7 C

Medium cool gray

  • One of 223 colors in Pantone Gray & Off-White Colors.
  • Black text works best (7.35:1, passes WCAG AAA).
  • Closest RAL: RAL 9022 Pearl Light Grey — very close (ΔE 1.7).

Color values

HEX, RGB and CMYK are screen and process approximations, not official Pantone values. Tap a value to copy it.

Text on this color

Aa White text2.86:1 · Not readable — avoid
Aa Black text7.35:1 · Passes AAA for all text

Similar Pantone colors

Ranked by color difference (ΔE 2000). Below 2 most people cannot tell them apart.

Cool Gray 6 C#A7A8A9ΔE 4.7 · close

Neighbors by number

Tints and shades

Mixed toward white and black in 20% steps, each matched to the nearest Pantone color.

Shades (toward black)

Cool Gray 9 C#75787BΔE 1.1 · very close

Color schemes

Pantone Cool Gray 7 C is a near-neutral color, so hue-based schemes do not apply. Neutrals pair with any color family; try it with an accent from blue, red or yellow.

Closest RAL and NCS colors

RAL 9022 Pearl Light Grey#9C9C9CΔE 1.7 · very close
RAL 7045 Telegrey 1#909090ΔE 3.2 · close
NCS S 4500-N#8C8C8CNCS (published crosswalk) · ΔE 4.5 · close
NCS S 4000-N#999999NCS (nearest on screen) · ΔE 1.4 · very close

Compare more options in the Pantone to RAL and Pantone to NCS converters.

How it looks with color blindness

Protanopia (red-blind)Looks almost unchanged (#98999B) · shift ΔE 0.5
Deuteranopia (green-blind)Looks almost unchanged (#98999B) · shift ΔE 0.5
Tritanopia (blue-blind)Looks almost unchanged (#96999A) · shift ΔE 0.9

This color looks nearly the same to people with the three common types of color blindness. Simulation uses the Machado et al. (2009) model.

About Pantone Cool Gray 7 C

Cool Gray 7 C is the middle step of the Cool Gray series, a balanced mid gray for neutral backgrounds and secondary elements.

RAL 9022 Pearl Light Grey is a very close match on screen (ΔE 1.7), though that RAL is a pearlescent finish. Black text passes WCAG AAA on it (7.3:1).

Use in code

CSS
:root {
  --pantone-cool-gray-7-c: #97999B;
}
.brand {
  background-color: var(--pantone-cool-gray-7-c);
  color: #000000;
}
SCSS
$pantone-cool-gray-7-c: #97999B;
Tailwind
// tailwind.config.js → theme.extend.colors
'pantone-cool-gray-7-c': '#97999B',

<div class="bg-[#97999B]">…</div>

Frequently asked questions

What is the HEX code for Pantone Cool Gray 7 C?

The screen approximation used on this site is #97999B, which is RGB 151, 153, 155.

What are the CMYK values for Pantone Cool Gray 7 C?

A process approximation is C 3, M 1, Y 0, K 39. Spot inks can look different from a four-color build, so proof important jobs.

What is the closest RAL color to Pantone Cool Gray 7 C?

RAL 9022 Pearl Light Grey is the closest RAL Classic color (ΔE 1.7, very close).

What does the “C” in the name mean?

“C” stands for coated: the reference shows how the ink looks on coated (glossy) paper. The same ink usually looks darker and duller on uncoated paper.

Should I use white or black text on Pantone Cool Gray 7 C?

Black text reads better, with a contrast ratio of 7.35:1 (passes WCAG AAA).

Related tools

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pantone LLC. Pantone® is a registered trademark of Pantone LLC. The color values provided here are for reference purposes only and may not be 100% accurate representations of official Pantone colors.

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