Nearest named color: Bistre
#31271F
#31271F
Nearest named
Bistre
Family
Gray
Lightness
28.2%
Chroma
0.021
Hue angle
60.5°
Temperature
Warm
Contrast on white
14.58:1 · AAA
Contrast on black
1.27:1 · Fail
Web-safe
#333333
CSS oklch()
28% 0.02 60

#31271F 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.

Palettes built on #31271F

Not just a swatch — here's how #31271F works with other colors. Named schemes with #31271F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors
Lead #31271F Secondary #7A4A24 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503C Anchor #5B222B

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.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors
Dominant #31271F Secondary #B5651C Accent #737845 Surface #F4ECDD Anchor #3B2A20

This palette keeps Bistre as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors
Base #31271F Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #BAAF9F 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 #31271F Anchor #141210 Accent #CCA04C Secondary #30271F 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 #31271F Secondary #514D4A 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 #31271F 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 56/100
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 38/100
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 60/100
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 #31271F

For UI
For branding
For interior
For fashion
People also use #31271F with
Espresso Bistre Gunmetal Gray 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 #DBD3CD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80
Avoid beside #322E1F — 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 #31271F 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

Scales

ShadesBase darkened in 10% steps
TintsBase lifted toward white
TonesSaturation removed, lightness held
Monochromatic scaleDesign-system ready, 50–900
50 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #31271F;
  --color-base-rgb: 49 39 31;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(28.2% 0.021 60.5);
  --color-50: #F9F7F5;
  --color-100: #F0EAE6;
  --color-200: #E0D5CD;
  --color-300: #C6B6A9;
  --color-400: #AC9786;
  --color-500: #8F7866;
  --color-600: #6F5F53;
  --color-700: #51463E;
  --color-800: #36302B;
  --color-900: #221E1B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}