#282920 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #282920 works with other colors. Named schemes with #282920 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Bistre leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How #282920 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 #282920 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #282920;
--color-base-rgb: 40 41 32;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(27.7% 0.016 112.6);
--color-50: #F8F8F6;
--color-100: #EDEDE8;
--color-200: #DADBD1;
--color-300: #BEBFB0;
--color-400: #A1A38F;
--color-500: #828570;
--color-600: #676859;
--color-700: #4B4C43;
--color-800: #33332E;
--color-900: #20201D;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
bistre: {
50: '#F8F8F6',
100: '#EDEDE8',
200: '#DADBD1',
300: '#BEBFB0',
400: '#A1A38F',
500: '#828570',
600: '#676859',
700: '#4B4C43',
800: '#33332E',
900: '#20201D',
},
}
$base: #282920; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F8F8F6; $base-100: #EDEDE8; $base-200: #DADBD1; $base-300: #BEBFB0; $base-400: #A1A38F; $base-500: #828570; $base-600: #676859; $base-700: #4B4C43; $base-800: #33332E; $base-900: #20201D; $base-hover: #1F2019; $base-subtle: #C2C3B7;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#282920",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F8F8F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EDEDE8",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DADBD1",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#BEBFB0",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A1A38F",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#828570",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#676859",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4B4C43",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#33332E",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#20201D",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}