Nearest named color: Graphite
#272136
#272136
Nearest named
Graphite
Family
Purple
Lightness
26.5%
Chroma
0.039
Hue angle
296.8°
Temperature
Cool
Contrast on white
15.47:1 · AAA
Contrast on black
1.20:1 · Fail
Web-safe
#333333
CSS oklch()
26% 0.04 297

#272136 is a muted, temperate purple. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered, quietly premium. It is too dark to lead as a primary accent and reproduces cleanly in print.

Palettes built on #272136

Not just a swatch — here's how #272136 works with other colors. Named schemes with #272136 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Graphite 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

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

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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

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Color Lab

How #272136 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 28/100
Low
Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.
Depth 70/100
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 30/100
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 15/100
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 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 #272136

For UI
For branding
For interior
For fashion
People also use #272136 with

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 15.5:1. Use
Subtle surface Use #D2CDDC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80
Avoid beside #2E2136 — 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 #272136 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

Scales

ShadesBase darkened in 10% steps
TintsBase lifted toward white
TonesSaturation removed, lightness held
Monochromatic scaleDesign-system ready, 50–900

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #272136;
  --color-base-rgb: 39 33 54;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(26.5% 0.039 296.8);
  --color-50: #F6F5F9;
  --color-100: #E8E5F0;
  --color-200: #D2CCE0;
  --color-300: #B1A8C7;
  --color-400: #9085AD;
  --color-500: #716590;
  --color-600: #5A5270;
  --color-700: #433E51;
  --color-800: #2E2B36;
  --color-900: #1D1B22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}