What color is #272B20?

#272B20 is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(39, 43, 32), and in HSL hsl(82, 15%, 15%).

Is #272B20 accessible as text?

On white, #272B20 has a contrast ratio of 14.46:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.45:1 (fails). For text placed on #272B20, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #272B20?

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

What colors go well with #272B20?

As a neutral, #272B20 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 #272B20 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #272B20 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.

#272B20 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #272B20

Not just a swatch — here's how #272B20 works with other colors. Named schemes with #272B20 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #272B20 Secondary #506B39 Accent #AF6A01 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 #272B20 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #576770 Accent #464A3F

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 #272B20 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 #272B20 Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 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 #272B20 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 #272B20 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 52/100

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 34/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 32/100

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 8/100

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 #272B20

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #272B20 with

Taupe Sacramento Green 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 #D5D8CF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #242C21 — 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 #272B20 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: #272B20;
  --color-base-rgb: 39 43 32;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(28.1% 0.020 123.9);
  --color-50: #F8F9F6;
  --color-100: #EBEEE7;
  --color-200: #D8DCD0;
  --color-300: #BAC1AE;
  --color-400: #9CA58D;
  --color-500: #7E886D;
  --color-600: #636A58;
  --color-700: #494D41;
  --color-800: #31342D;
  --color-900: #1F211D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F8F9F6',
    100: '#EBEEE7',
    200: '#D8DCD0',
    300: '#BAC1AE',
    400: '#9CA58D',
    500: '#7E886D',
    600: '#636A58',
    700: '#494D41',
    800: '#31342D',
    900: '#1F211D',
  },
}

$base: #272B20;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F9F6;
$base-100: #EBEEE7;
$base-200: #D8DCD0;
$base-300: #BAC1AE;
$base-400: #9CA58D;
$base-500: #7E886D;
$base-600: #636A58;
$base-700: #494D41;
$base-800: #31342D;
$base-900: #1F211D;
$base-hover: #20231A;
$base-subtle: #C0C5B7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#272B20",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F9F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBEEE7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D8DCD0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BAC1AE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9CA58D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7E886D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#636A58",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#494D41",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#31342D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F211D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #272B20

Color Lab

Pairs with #272B20

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export