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bg-zinc-400

Tailwind Zinc 400

#A1A1AA·Zinc family·Shade 400

Color Values

HEX
#A1A1AA
RGB
rgb(161, 161, 170)
HSL
hsl(240, 5%, 65%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.712 0.013 286)
CMYK
cmyk(5%, 5%, 0%, 33%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-zinc-400)
Tailwind Class
bg-zinc-400

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

Based on WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios against white and black backgrounds.

On White

2.56:1

Fail

On Black

8.19:1

AAA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-zinc-400

Text

text-zinc-400

Border

border-zinc-400

Ring

ring-zinc-400

Outline

outline-zinc-400

Fill

fill-zinc-400

Stroke

stroke-zinc-400

From (gradient)

from-zinc-400

Via (gradient)

via-zinc-400

To (gradient)

to-zinc-400

Placeholder

placeholder-zinc-400

Caret

caret-zinc-400

Accent

accent-zinc-400

Decoration

decoration-zinc-400

Shadow Color

shadow-zinc-400

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'zinc-400': '#a1a1aa', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #A1A1AA;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(161, 161, 170);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(240, 5%, 65%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.712 0.013 286);

/* CSS Custom Property (Tailwind v4) */
background-color: var(--color-zinc-400);

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #fafafa 0%, #71717a 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.712

71% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.013

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

286°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.712 0.013 286)

OKLCH is a perceptually uniform color space in CSS Color Level 4. Unlike HSL, equal steps in L produce equal perceived lightness changes — making it ideal for building accessible, harmonious design system scales.

Design Recommendations

Mid-tone accent

Shade 400 of the Zinc palette

Recommended Uses

  • ✓Icon fills on white
  • ✓Secondary buttons (large text)
  • ✓Chart & data visualization bars
  • ✓Decorative UI elements

Avoid

✗Body text on white — often fails WCAG AA for normal text.

Preview

On White

Aa Bb Cc

On Black

Aa Bb Cc

As Background

Aa Bb Cc — #A1A1AA

Zinc Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Neutral 400

#A3A3A3

Tailwind Gray 400

#9CA3AF

Tailwind Stone 400

#A8A29E

Tailwind Slate 400

#94A3B8

Tailwind Indigo 300

#A5B4FC

Tailwind Violet 400

#A78BFA

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Zinc 400

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #A1A1AA

Design & Accessibility Guides

Guide

Building an Accessible Color System

Design Systems · 10 min read

Guide

WCAG Contrast Ratios Explained

WCAG · 8 min read

Guide

WCAG AA vs AAA: Which Standard Should You Target?

WCAG · 7 min read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Tailwind Zinc 400?
Tailwind Zinc 400 has the hex code #A1A1AA. Its RGB value is rgb(161, 161, 170) and its HSL value is hsl(240, 5%, 65%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Zinc 400?
Use bg-zinc-400 for backgrounds, text-zinc-400 for text color, border-zinc-400 for borders, and ring-zinc-400 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-zinc-400) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Zinc 400 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Zinc 400 achieves a 2.56:1 contrast ratio on white (Fail) and 8.19:1 on black (AAA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Zinc 400?
Tailwind Zinc 400 in OKLCH is oklch(0.712 0.013 286) — lightness 0.712, chroma 0.013, hue 286°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Zinc 400 used for?
At shade 400, Tailwind Zinc 400 is best described as "Mid-tone accent". Recommended uses: Icon fills on white, Secondary buttons (large text), Chart & data visualization bars.
← All Tailwind Colors