Cool grey
A medium-light grey with a blue tint, known for its calm, muted look
Cool grey is a medium-light shade of grey with a hint of blue, giving it a subdued, bluish cast. It matches the colour sample known as 'gray blue' and is associated with the foggy atmosphere of San Francisco, famously described as the 'cool grey city of love.'
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- Cool grey is a medium-light grey with a blue tint.
- It matches the colour sample 'gray blue' in a major colour dictionary.
- San Francisco is famously called the 'cool grey city of love'.
What colour is Cool grey?
Cool grey is a shade of grey that carries a noticeable blue undertone, making it appear cooler and more subdued than warmer greys. It sits in the medium-light range, so it is neither very dark nor very pale. The blue tint gives it a dull, calm appearance, setting it apart from neutral or brownish greys. This colour is often seen as understated and modern.
Where does Cool grey come from?
The name 'cool grey' comes from its blueish cast, which gives it a cooler look compared to other greys. It is also known as 'gray blue' in some colour references. The phrase 'cool grey' became widely recognised through the poet George Sterling, who called San Francisco the 'cool grey city of love', referring to the city's frequent ocean fogs.
Shades and relatives of Cool grey
Cool grey is closely related to other blue-greys and can be confused with similar shades like 'gray blue'. It is distinct from warm greys, which have yellow or brown undertones. The ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names lists it as sample No. 203 ('gray blue').
Colours that go with Cool grey
Harmonies are worked out from the value #8C92AC. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Cool grey
What colour is cool grey?
Cool grey is a medium-light shade of grey with a noticeable blue tint, giving it a subdued and calm appearance.
Where does the name 'cool grey' come from?
The name refers to the blueish, cool undertone of this grey shade. It was also popularised by poet George Sterling, who described San Francisco as the 'cool grey city of love'.
Is cool grey the same as gray blue?
Yes, cool grey is identical to the colour sample known as 'gray blue' in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of gray" (the section "Cool gray"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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