Gainsboro

Gainsboro is a pale neutral gray color that appears in the standard CSS color keywords used for HTML and CSS. Its official hex code is #DCDCDC, and its RGB components are 220, 220, 220. In the sRGB color space, it reads as a light gray with little tint, making it a common choice for backgrounds, borders, and surfaces where pure white is too bright but darker grays would feel heavy.

Origin and naming of the color are tied to traditional color-name lists used in early digital design. Gainsboro is one of the many named colors in the X11/CSS palette, but the exact historical source of the term is not consistently documented. The name has persisted in web standards and design practice as a recognizable light gray.

In design usage, Gainsboro serves as a subtle, low-contrast surface that can support readable text when paired with darker foreground colors. It is often compared with nearby light grays such as Silver (#C0C0C0) and White Smoke (#F5F5F5), sitting between them in terms of lightness. Its broad browser support and straightforward interpretation in most displays contribute to its ongoing popularity for neutral fields, panels, and components.

See also: Gray colors in web design, White Smoke, Silver, LightGray. Gainsboro remains a common, widely supported option for creating soft, unobtrusive interfaces in digital design.