What color is #253738?

#253738 is a dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(37, 55, 56), and in HSL hsl(183, 20%, 18%).

Is #253738 accessible as text?

On white, #253738 has a contrast ratio of 12.48:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.68:1 (fails). For text placed on #253738, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #253738?

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

What colors go well with #253738?

As a neutral, #253738 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 #253738 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #253738 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.

#253738 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #253738

Not just a swatch — here's how #253738 works with other colors. Named schemes with #253738 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #253738 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Gunmetal Gray 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 #253738 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #253738 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #465758

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 #253738 Secondary #715017 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395143 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #253738 Secondary #535A5A 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 #253738 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 34/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 64/100

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 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 65/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 27/100

Low

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

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #253738

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #253738 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 12.5:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #253037 — 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 #253738 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: #253738;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 55 56;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.2% 0.023 200.4);
  --color-50: #F6F9F9;
  --color-100: #E6EEEF;
  --color-200: #CEDEDE;
  --color-300: #ABC3C5;
  --color-400: #88A8AA;
  --color-500: #698A8C;
  --color-600: #546C6D;
  --color-700: #3F4F4F;
  --color-800: #2C3535;
  --color-900: #1C2121;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  gunmetal-gray: {
    50: '#F6F9F9',
    100: '#E6EEEF',
    200: '#CEDEDE',
    300: '#ABC3C5',
    400: '#88A8AA',
    500: '#698A8C',
    600: '#546C6D',
    700: '#3F4F4F',
    800: '#2C3535',
    900: '#1C2121',
  },
}

$base: #253738;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F9F9;
$base-100: #E6EEEF;
$base-200: #CEDEDE;
$base-300: #ABC3C5;
$base-400: #88A8AA;
$base-500: #698A8C;
$base-600: #546C6D;
$base-700: #3F4F4F;
$base-800: #2C3535;
$base-900: #1C2121;
$base-hover: #1D2B2C;
$base-subtle: #B7C9CA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#253738",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EEEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDEDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABC3C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#88A8AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#698A8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#546C6D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4F4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C3535",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2121",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}