What color is #262B21?

#262B21 is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(38, 43, 33), and in HSL hsl(90, 13%, 15%).

Is #262B21 accessible as text?

On white, #262B21 has a contrast ratio of 14.48:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.45:1 (fails). For text placed on #262B21, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #262B21?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-800 (#262626).

What colors go well with #262B21?

As a neutral, #262B21 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 #262B21 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #262B21 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.

#262B21 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #262B21

Not just a swatch — here's how #262B21 works with other colors. Named schemes with #262B21 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #262B21 Secondary #4F6B39 Accent #AF6A00 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Bistre leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #262B21 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #576770 Accent #454A40

Bistre is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Bistre.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #262B21 Secondary #764D1D Surface #E6DBC0 Accent #3D513F Anchor #5B2324

Bistre 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 #262B21 Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B7B09F Ink #2B2723

Bistre 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #262B21 Secondary #4C4E4A Support #999286 Ink #17140F

Bistre 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 Bistre carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #262B21 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 51/100

Neutral

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

Softness 31/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 67/100

High

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

Naturalness 35/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 68/100

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 19/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 61/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #262B21

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #262B21 with

Taupe Gunmetal Gray Graphite Platinum Outer Space

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 14.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D4D8D0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #232B21 — 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 #262B21 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: #262B21;
  --color-base-rgb: 38 43 33;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(28.1% 0.019 129.3);
  --color-50: #F7F8F6;
  --color-100: #EBEDE8;
  --color-200: #D6DBD1;
  --color-300: #B8C0AF;
  --color-400: #99A48E;
  --color-500: #7A866F;
  --color-600: #616959;
  --color-700: #474D42;
  --color-800: #30342D;
  --color-900: #1F201D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F7F8F6',
    100: '#EBEDE8',
    200: '#D6DBD1',
    300: '#B8C0AF',
    400: '#99A48E',
    500: '#7A866F',
    600: '#616959',
    700: '#474D42',
    800: '#30342D',
    900: '#1F201D',
  },
}

$base: #262B21;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F8F6;
$base-100: #EBEDE8;
$base-200: #D6DBD1;
$base-300: #B8C0AF;
$base-400: #99A48E;
$base-500: #7A866F;
$base-600: #616959;
$base-700: #474D42;
$base-800: #30342D;
$base-900: #1F201D;
$base-hover: #1F231B;
$base-subtle: #BEC4B8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#262B21",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBEDE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D6DBD1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B8C0AF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#99A48E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7A866F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#616959",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#474D42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#30342D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #262B21

Color Lab

Pairs with #262B21

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export