#282921 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 #282921 works with other colors. Named schemes with #282921 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 #282921 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 #282921 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #282921;
--color-base-rgb: 40 41 33;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(27.7% 0.014 113.1);
--color-50: #F8F8F6;
--color-100: #ECEDE8;
--color-200: #D9DBD2;
--color-300: #BDBFB1;
--color-400: #A0A290;
--color-500: #828471;
--color-600: #66685A;
--color-700: #4B4C43;
--color-800: #32332E;
--color-900: #20201D;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
bistre: {
50: '#F8F8F6',
100: '#ECEDE8',
200: '#D9DBD2',
300: '#BDBFB1',
400: '#A0A290',
500: '#828471',
600: '#66685A',
700: '#4B4C43',
800: '#32332E',
900: '#20201D',
},
}
$base: #282921; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F8F8F6; $base-100: #ECEDE8; $base-200: #D9DBD2; $base-300: #BDBFB1; $base-400: #A0A290; $base-500: #828471; $base-600: #66685A; $base-700: #4B4C43; $base-800: #32332E; $base-900: #20201D; $base-hover: #21221B; $base-subtle: #C2C3B9;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#282921",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F8F8F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#ECEDE8",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#D9DBD2",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#BDBFB1",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A0A290",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#828471",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#66685A",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4B4C43",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#32332E",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#20201D",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}