What color is #253333?

#253333 is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(37, 51, 51), and in HSL hsl(180, 16%, 17%).

Is #253333 accessible as text?

On white, #253333 has a contrast ratio of 13.13:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.60:1 (fails). For text placed on #253333, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #253333?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-800 (#27272A).

What colors go well with #253333?

As a neutral, #253333 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 #253333 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #253333 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) 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.

#253333 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #253333

Not just a swatch — here's how #253333 works with other colors. Named schemes with #253333 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #253333 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #455252

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.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253333 Secondary #715018 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #552340

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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #253333 Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #253333 Anchor #141210 Accent #B8AA4D Secondary #1D2C2C Surface #F1EDE3

Gunmetal Gray 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 #F6F4EF Accent #253333 Secondary #515656 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

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.

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Color Lab

How #253333 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 45/100

Neutral

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

Softness 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 65/100

High

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

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 25/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 66/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 7/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 59/100

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 #253333

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #253333 with

Dark Slate Gray Gunmetal Gray Bistre Platinum

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 13.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D0DADA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #242E32 — 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 #253333 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: #253333;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 51 51;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(30.9% 0.019 196.2);
  --color-50: #F6F9F9;
  --color-100: #E7EEEE;
  --color-200: #D0DDDD;
  --color-300: #ADC2C2;
  --color-400: #8CA6A6;
  --color-500: #6C8888;
  --color-600: #576B6B;
  --color-700: #414E4E;
  --color-800: #2D3434;
  --color-900: #1C2121;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  gunmetal-gray: {
    50: '#F6F9F9',
    100: '#E7EEEE',
    200: '#D0DDDD',
    300: '#ADC2C2',
    400: '#8CA6A6',
    500: '#6C8888',
    600: '#576B6B',
    700: '#414E4E',
    800: '#2D3434',
    900: '#1C2121',
  },
}

$base: #253333;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F9F9;
$base-100: #E7EEEE;
$base-200: #D0DDDD;
$base-300: #ADC2C2;
$base-400: #8CA6A6;
$base-500: #6C8888;
$base-600: #576B6B;
$base-700: #414E4E;
$base-800: #2D3434;
$base-900: #1C2121;
$base-hover: #1D2828;
$base-subtle: #B8C7C7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#253333",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7EEEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D0DDDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ADC2C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8CA6A6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6C8888",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#576B6B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#414E4E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D3434",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2121",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}