#252E26 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #252E26 works with other colors. Named schemes with #252E26 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Gunmetal Gray leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.
Gunmetal Gray is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Gunmetal Gray.
Gunmetal Gray plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.
Gunmetal Gray sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.
Gunmetal Gray 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 Gunmetal Gray carrying the quiet middle.
How #252E26 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.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #252E26 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #252E26;
--color-base-rgb: 37 46 38;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(29.0% 0.019 148.2);
--color-50: #F6F8F7;
--color-100: #E8EDE9;
--color-200: #D2DBD3;
--color-300: #B1BFB2;
--color-400: #90A292;
--color-500: #718473;
--color-600: #5A685C;
--color-700: #434C44;
--color-800: #2E332E;
--color-900: #1D201D;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
gunmetal-gray: {
50: '#F6F8F7',
100: '#E8EDE9',
200: '#D2DBD3',
300: '#B1BFB2',
400: '#90A292',
500: '#718473',
600: '#5A685C',
700: '#434C44',
800: '#2E332E',
900: '#1D201D',
},
}
$base: #252E26; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F6F8F7; $base-100: #E8EDE9; $base-200: #D2DBD3; $base-300: #B1BFB2; $base-400: #90A292; $base-500: #718473; $base-600: #5A685C; $base-700: #434C44; $base-800: #2E332E; $base-900: #1D201D; $base-hover: #1D241E; $base-subtle: #B9C4BB;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#252E26",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F6F8F7",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#E8EDE9",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#D2DBD3",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#B1BFB2",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#90A292",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#718473",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#5A685C",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#434C44",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#2E332E",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#1D201D",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}