RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, smoke is often associated with mystery and the ephemeral, symbolizing things that are fleeting. Conversely, in some Indigenous cultures, smoke is considered a sacred element used in rituals for purification and communication with the spiritual realm.
The term 'smoke' has roots in the Old English word 'smoca', which dates back to the 11th century. Historically, smoke was used in various cultural rituals, such as the ancient practice of smudging, where aromatic herbs were burned for cleansing and healing purposes.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Smoke. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 27 Grays →Nine steps of Smoke by lightness — from #3C443D (darkest) to #B6BEB8 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Smoke.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Smoke anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on dark backgrounds; fails on light.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #738276; color-mix(in srgb, #738276 70%, white) 132°, 12%, 51% 12, 0, 9, 49 7570038 #669966 How Smoke appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.