What color is #38293F?

#38293F is a dark, muted purple. In RGB it is rgb(56, 41, 63), and in HSL hsl(281, 21%, 20%).

Is #38293F accessible as text?

On white, #38293F has a contrast ratio of 13.49:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.56:1 (fails). For text placed on #38293F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38293F?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-800 (#2A212C).

What colors go well with #38293F?

#38293F pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #2F3E28. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #38293F below.

Is #38293F good for buttons?

#38293F works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #38293F — black text only reaches 1.56:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #38293F the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #38293F is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) 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.

#38293F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38293F

Not just a swatch — here's how #38293F works with other colors. Named schemes with #38293F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38293F Secondary #7E4630 Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #355249 Anchor #592235

Gunmetal Gray 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 #38293F Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Gunmetal Gray 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 #38293F Anchor #141210 Accent #D89954 Secondary #2D2630 Surface #F3EDE3

Gunmetal Gray 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 #F8F4EF Accent #38293F Secondary #58525B Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

Gunmetal Gray 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 Gunmetal Gray carrying the quiet middle.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38293F Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5D203F Accent #E5C2C6 Secondary #332B2F

Gunmetal Gray 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 #38293F 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 32/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 66/100

High

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

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

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 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 29/100

Low

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

Surface fit 52/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #38293F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38293F with

Charcoal Bistre Bottle Green Gainsboro Onyx

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 13.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8D0DC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3E283D — 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 #38293F 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: #38293F;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 41 63;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(30.8% 0.043 314.8);
  --color-50: #F8F6F9;
  --color-100: #ECE6EF;
  --color-200: #D9CEDF;
  --color-300: #BDAAC5;
  --color-400: #9F88AA;
  --color-500: #81688D;
  --color-600: #66546E;
  --color-700: #4B3F50;
  --color-800: #322B35;
  --color-900: #201C21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  gunmetal-gray: {
    50: '#F8F6F9',
    100: '#ECE6EF',
    200: '#D9CEDF',
    300: '#BDAAC5',
    400: '#9F88AA',
    500: '#81688D',
    600: '#66546E',
    700: '#4B3F50',
    800: '#322B35',
    900: '#201C21',
  },
}

$base: #38293F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F6F9;
$base-100: #ECE6EF;
$base-200: #D9CEDF;
$base-300: #BDAAC5;
$base-400: #9F88AA;
$base-500: #81688D;
$base-600: #66546E;
$base-700: #4B3F50;
$base-800: #322B35;
$base-900: #201C21;
$base-hover: #2C2031;
$base-subtle: #C5B8CC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38293F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECE6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D9CEDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BDAAC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9F88AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#81688D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#66546E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4B3F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322B35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}