What color is #2A281C?

#2A281C is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(42, 40, 28), and in HSL hsl(51, 20%, 14%).

Is #2A281C accessible as text?

On white, #2A281C has a contrast ratio of 14.80:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.42:1 (fails). For text placed on #2A281C, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2A281C?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-800 (#292524).

What colors go well with #2A281C?

As a neutral, #2A281C 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 #2A281C the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #2A281C 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.

#2A281C Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2A281C

Not just a swatch — here's how #2A281C works with other colors. Named schemes with #2A281C in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2A281C Secondary #536A36 Accent #B2680D Surface #F0E9D6 Anchor #3D2E21

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 #2A281C Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #57686F Accent #49473B

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 #2A281C Secondary #784C20 Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

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 #2A281C Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F 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 #2A281C Secondary #4D4C47 Support #999186 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 #2A281C 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 54/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 30/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 68/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 30/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 69/100

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 18/100

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 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #2A281C

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2A281C with

Espresso Bistre Graphite Greige Army Green

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 14.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9D8CD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #282B1D — 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 #2A281C 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: #2A281C;
  --color-base-rgb: 42 40 28;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(27.5% 0.021 99.7);
  --color-50: #F9F9F6;
  --color-100: #EFEEE6;
  --color-200: #DEDCCE;
  --color-300: #C5C1AB;
  --color-400: #AAA588;
  --color-500: #8C8769;
  --color-600: #6D6A54;
  --color-700: #4F4D3F;
  --color-800: #35342C;
  --color-900: #21201C;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F9F9F6',
    100: '#EFEEE6',
    200: '#DEDCCE',
    300: '#C5C1AB',
    400: '#AAA588',
    500: '#8C8769',
    600: '#6D6A54',
    700: '#4F4D3F',
    800: '#35342C',
    900: '#21201C',
  },
}

$base: #2A281C;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F9F6;
$base-100: #EFEEE6;
$base-200: #DEDCCE;
$base-300: #C5C1AB;
$base-400: #AAA588;
$base-500: #8C8769;
$base-600: #6D6A54;
$base-700: #4F4D3F;
$base-800: #35342C;
$base-900: #21201C;
$base-hover: #222117;
$base-subtle: #C7C4B3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2A281C",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F9F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EFEEE6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DEDCCE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C5C1AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AAA588",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#8C8769",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6D6A54",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4F4D3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#35342C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#21201C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2A281C

Color Lab

Pairs with #2A281C

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export