What color is #2C281F?

#2C281F is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(44, 40, 31), and in HSL hsl(42, 17%, 15%).

Is #2C281F accessible as text?

On white, #2C281F has a contrast ratio of 14.68:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.43:1 (fails). For text placed on #2C281F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2C281F?

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

What colors go well with #2C281F?

As a neutral, #2C281F 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 #2C281F the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #2C281F 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.

#2C281F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2C281F

Not just a swatch — here's how #2C281F works with other colors. Named schemes with #2C281F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #2C281F Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #56686F Accent #4B473E

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 #2C281F Secondary #784B21 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2228

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 #2C281F Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F 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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #2C281F Anchor #141210 Accent #C9A24B Secondary #2D281E Surface #F2EDE3

Bistre carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #2C281F Secondary #4E4C49 Support #9A9186 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 #2C281F 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 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 32/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 35/100

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 7/100

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 62/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #2C281F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2C281F with

Taupe Bistre Graphite Greige 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 14.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9D6CE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2C2D20 — 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 #2C281F 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: #2C281F;
  --color-base-rgb: 44 40 31;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(27.8% 0.017 86.9);
  --color-50: #F9F8F6;
  --color-100: #EEECE7;
  --color-200: #DDD9CF;
  --color-300: #C3BCAD;
  --color-400: #A79F8B;
  --color-500: #89806B;
  --color-600: #6B6556;
  --color-700: #4E4A41;
  --color-800: #35322C;
  --color-900: #21201C;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F9F8F6',
    100: '#EEECE7',
    200: '#DDD9CF',
    300: '#C3BCAD',
    400: '#A79F8B',
    500: '#89806B',
    600: '#6B6556',
    700: '#4E4A41',
    800: '#35322C',
    900: '#21201C',
  },
}

$base: #2C281F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F8F6;
$base-100: #EEECE7;
$base-200: #DDD9CF;
$base-300: #C3BCAD;
$base-400: #A79F8B;
$base-500: #89806B;
$base-600: #6B6556;
$base-700: #4E4A41;
$base-800: #35322C;
$base-900: #21201C;
$base-hover: #242119;
$base-subtle: #C6C1B6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2C281F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEECE7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DDD9CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C3BCAD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A79F8B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#89806B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6B6556",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4E4A41",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#35322C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#21201C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2C281F

Color Lab

Pairs with #2C281F

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export