What color is #252438?

#252438 is a dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(37, 36, 56), and in HSL hsl(243, 22%, 18%).

Is #252438 accessible as text?

On white, #252438 has a contrast ratio of 15.13:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.39:1 (fails). For text placed on #252438, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #252438?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-800 (#1E2939).

What colors go well with #252438?

As a neutral, #252438 pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a dark surface or high-contrast base and let the accent carry the color.

Is #252438 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #252438 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#252438 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #252438

Not just a swatch — here's how #252438 works with other colors. Named schemes with #252438 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #252438 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

Graphite opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #252438 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Graphite keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #252438 Secondary #7E4533 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582238

Graphite plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #252438 Anchor #141210 Accent #DB9757 Secondary #282833 Surface #F3ECE3

Graphite carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #252438 Secondary #4A4A52 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Graphite is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Graphite carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #252438 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 44/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 29/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 69/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 71/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 20/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #252438

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #252438 with

Charcoal Gunmetal Gray Onyx Gainsboro

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 15.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CFCFDC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2C2438 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #252438 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #252438;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 36 56;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(27.1% 0.037 286.0);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E6E6EF;
  --color-200: #CECDDF;
  --color-300: #ABA9C6;
  --color-400: #8987AB;
  --color-500: #69678E;
  --color-600: #55536F;
  --color-700: #3F3F50;
  --color-800: #2C2B36;
  --color-900: #1C1C22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E6E6EF',
    200: '#CECDDF',
    300: '#ABA9C6',
    400: '#8987AB',
    500: '#69678E',
    600: '#55536F',
    700: '#3F3F50',
    800: '#2C2B36',
    900: '#1C1C22',
  },
}

$base: #252438;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E6E6EF;
$base-200: #CECDDF;
$base-300: #ABA9C6;
$base-400: #8987AB;
$base-500: #69678E;
$base-600: #55536F;
$base-700: #3F3F50;
$base-800: #2C2B36;
$base-900: #1C1C22;
$base-hover: #1D1D2D;
$base-subtle: #B7B6CB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#252438",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CECDDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABA9C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8987AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#69678E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#55536F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F3F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2B36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1C22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}