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bg-zinc-500

Tailwind Zinc 500

#71717A·Zinc family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#71717A
RGB
rgb(113, 113, 122)
HSL
hsl(240, 4%, 46%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.552 0.014 286)
CMYK
cmyk(7%, 7%, 0%, 52%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-zinc-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-zinc-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

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

On White

4.83:1

AA

On Black

4.35:1

AA Large
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-zinc-500

Text

text-zinc-500

Border

border-zinc-500

Ring

ring-zinc-500

Outline

outline-zinc-500

Fill

fill-zinc-500

Stroke

stroke-zinc-500

From (gradient)

from-zinc-500

Via (gradient)

via-zinc-500

To (gradient)

to-zinc-500

Placeholder

placeholder-zinc-500

Caret

caret-zinc-500

Accent

accent-zinc-500

Decoration

decoration-zinc-500

Shadow Color

shadow-zinc-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'zinc-500': '#71717a', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #71717A;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(113, 113, 122);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(240, 4%, 46%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.552 0.014 286);

/* CSS Custom Property (Tailwind v4) */
background-color: var(--color-zinc-500);

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #fafafa 0%, #52525b 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.552

55% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.014

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

286°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.552 0.014 286)

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

Primary brand color

Shade 500 of the Zinc palette

Recommended Uses

  • ✓CTA buttons
  • ✓Active navigation links
  • ✓Primary brand accents
  • ✓Interactive element fills
  • ✓Highlighted badges

Avoid

✗Text on dark/black backgrounds — check contrast before use.

Preview

On White

Aa Bb Cc

On Black

Aa Bb Cc

As Background

Aa Bb Cc — #71717A

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 500

#737373

Tailwind Gray 500

#6B7280

Tailwind Stone 500

#78716C

Tailwind Slate 500

#64748B

Tailwind Stone 600

#57534E

Tailwind Gray 600

#4B5563

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Zinc 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #71717A

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 500?
Tailwind Zinc 500 has the hex code #71717A. Its RGB value is rgb(113, 113, 122) and its HSL value is hsl(240, 4%, 46%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Zinc 500?
Use bg-zinc-500 for backgrounds, text-zinc-500 for text color, border-zinc-500 for borders, and ring-zinc-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-zinc-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Zinc 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Zinc 500 achieves a 4.83:1 contrast ratio on white (AA) and 4.35:1 on black (AA Large). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Zinc 500?
Tailwind Zinc 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.552 0.014 286) — lightness 0.552, chroma 0.014, hue 286°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Zinc 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Zinc 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
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