What color is #38292E?

#38292E is a dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(56, 41, 46), and in HSL hsl(340, 15%, 19%).

Is #38292E accessible as text?

On white, #38292E has a contrast ratio of 13.77:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.52:1 (fails). For text placed on #38292E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38292E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-800 (#27272A).

What colors go well with #38292E?

As a neutral, #38292E 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 #38292E the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #38292E 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.

#38292E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38292E

Not just a swatch — here's how #38292E works with other colors. Named schemes with #38292E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38292E Secondary #7C482B Surface #EBD9C1 Accent #454F39 Anchor #5A2231

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 #38292E Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BCAEA0 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 #38292E Anchor #141210 Accent #D49C50 Secondary #312529 Surface #F3EDE3

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 #38292E Secondary #575153 Support #9C9087 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38292E Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E203A Accent #E6C2C3 Secondary #332B2E

Bistre sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #38292E 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 32/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 66/100

High

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

Naturalness 9/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 67/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #38292E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38292E with

Eggplant Bistre Gunmetal Gray Gainsboro 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 13.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DAD1D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #382929 — 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 #38292E 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: #38292E;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 41 46;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(30.0% 0.024 356.8);
  --color-50: #F9F6F7;
  --color-100: #EEE7EA;
  --color-200: #DCD0D4;
  --color-300: #C1AEB4;
  --color-400: #A58D95;
  --color-500: #886D76;
  --color-600: #6A585E;
  --color-700: #4D4145;
  --color-800: #342D2F;
  --color-900: #211D1E;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F9F6F7',
    100: '#EEE7EA',
    200: '#DCD0D4',
    300: '#C1AEB4',
    400: '#A58D95',
    500: '#886D76',
    600: '#6A585E',
    700: '#4D4145',
    800: '#342D2F',
    900: '#211D1E',
  },
}

$base: #38292E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F7;
$base-100: #EEE7EA;
$base-200: #DCD0D4;
$base-300: #C1AEB4;
$base-400: #A58D95;
$base-500: #886D76;
$base-600: #6A585E;
$base-700: #4D4145;
$base-800: #342D2F;
$base-900: #211D1E;
$base-hover: #2D2125;
$base-subtle: #C8BABF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38292E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE7EA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DCD0D4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C1AEB4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A58D95",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#886D76",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6A585E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4D4145",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342D2F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211D1E",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}