What color is #2E281E?

#2E281E is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(46, 40, 30), and in HSL hsl(38, 21%, 15%).

Is #2E281E accessible as text?

On white, #2E281E has a contrast ratio of 14.60:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.44:1 (fails). For text placed on #2E281E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2E281E?

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

What colors go well with #2E281E?

As a neutral, #2E281E 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 #2E281E the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #2E281E 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.

#2E281E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2E281E

Not just a swatch — here's how #2E281E works with other colors. Named schemes with #2E281E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #2E281E Surface #15161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #56686F Accent #4D473D

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 #2E281E Secondary #794B22 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #40503D Anchor #5B2229

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 #2E281E 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 #2E281E Anchor #141210 Accent #CAA24B Secondary #2E281E 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 #2E281E Secondary #4F4D49 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #2E281E 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 55/100

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 36/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 36/100

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 8/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 19/100

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 #2E281E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2E281E with

Espresso Bistre Graphite Greige Taupe

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 14.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DAD5CD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2E2E1E — 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 #2E281E at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #2E281E;
  --color-base-rgb: 46 40 30;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(28.0% 0.020 80.4);
  --color-50: #F9F8F6;
  --color-100: #EFECE6;
  --color-200: #DFD8CE;
  --color-300: #C5BBAA;
  --color-400: #AA9E88;
  --color-500: #8D7F68;
  --color-600: #6E6454;
  --color-700: #504A3F;
  --color-800: #35322B;
  --color-900: #211F1C;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F9F8F6',
    100: '#EFECE6',
    200: '#DFD8CE',
    300: '#C5BBAA',
    400: '#AA9E88',
    500: '#8D7F68',
    600: '#6E6454',
    700: '#504A3F',
    800: '#35322B',
    900: '#211F1C',
  },
}

$base: #2E281E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F8F6;
$base-100: #EFECE6;
$base-200: #DFD8CE;
$base-300: #C5BBAA;
$base-400: #AA9E88;
$base-500: #8D7F68;
$base-600: #6E6454;
$base-700: #504A3F;
$base-800: #35322B;
$base-900: #211F1C;
$base-hover: #252018;
$base-subtle: #C8C1B4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2E281E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EFECE6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DFD8CE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C5BBAA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AA9E88",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#8D7F68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6E6454",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#504A3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#35322B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211F1C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2E281E

Color Lab

Pairs with #2E281E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export