#282225 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered, quietly premium. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #282225 works with other colors. Named schemes with #282225 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Graphite is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Graphite.
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.
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.
Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.
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.
How #282225 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.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #282225 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #282225;
--color-base-rgb: 40 34 37;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(26.0% 0.011 346.2);
--color-50: #F8F7F7;
--color-100: #ECE9EB;
--color-200: #D9D3D6;
--color-300: #BDB2B8;
--color-400: #A09299;
--color-500: #81737A;
--color-600: #665C61;
--color-700: #4B4447;
--color-800: #322F30;
--color-900: #201D1F;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#F8F7F7',
100: '#ECE9EB',
200: '#D9D3D6',
300: '#BDB2B8',
400: '#A09299',
500: '#81737A',
600: '#665C61',
700: '#4B4447',
800: '#322F30',
900: '#201D1F',
},
}
$base: #282225; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F8F7F7; $base-100: #ECE9EB; $base-200: #D9D3D6; $base-300: #BDB2B8; $base-400: #A09299; $base-500: #81737A; $base-600: #665C61; $base-700: #4B4447; $base-800: #322F30; $base-900: #201D1F; $base-hover: #211C1F; $base-subtle: #C2BABE;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#282225",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F8F7F7",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#ECE9EB",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#D9D3D6",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#BDB2B8",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A09299",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#81737A",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#665C61",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4B4447",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#322F30",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#201D1F",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}