What color is #38313D?

#38313D is a dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(56, 49, 61), and in HSL hsl(275, 11%, 22%).

Is #38313D accessible as text?

On white, #38313D has a contrast ratio of 12.54:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.67:1 (fails). For text placed on #38313D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38313D?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-700 (#3F3F46).

What colors go well with #38313D?

As a neutral, #38313D 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 #38313D the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #38313D 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.

#38313D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38313D

Not just a swatch — here's how #38313D works with other colors. Named schemes with #38313D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38313D Secondary #7E4630 Surface #EDD8C1 Accent #355249 Anchor #592235

Onyx 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 #38313D Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Onyx 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 #38313D Anchor #141210 Accent #D99954 Secondary #2C2630 Surface #F3EDE3

Onyx 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 #38313D Secondary #5B585D Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

Onyx 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 Onyx carrying the quiet middle.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38313D Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

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

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Color Lab

How #38313D 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 35/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 63/100

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 33/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 65/100

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 28/100

Low

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

Surface fit 57/100

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 #38313D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38313D with

Charcoal Onyx Gainsboro

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 12.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8D4DA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #3D323E — 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 #38313D 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: #38313D;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 49 61;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.5% 0.023 311.2);
  --color-50: #F8F6F8;
  --color-100: #EBE8ED;
  --color-200: #D7D2DB;
  --color-300: #B9B1BF;
  --color-400: #9B90A2;
  --color-500: #7C7184;
  --color-600: #625A68;
  --color-700: #48434C;
  --color-800: #312E33;
  --color-900: #1F1D20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  onyx: {
    50: '#F8F6F8',
    100: '#EBE8ED',
    200: '#D7D2DB',
    300: '#B9B1BF',
    400: '#9B90A2',
    500: '#7C7184',
    600: '#625A68',
    700: '#48434C',
    800: '#312E33',
    900: '#1F1D20',
  },
}

$base: #38313D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F6F8;
$base-100: #EBE8ED;
$base-200: #D7D2DB;
$base-300: #B9B1BF;
$base-400: #9B90A2;
$base-500: #7C7184;
$base-600: #625A68;
$base-700: #48434C;
$base-800: #312E33;
$base-900: #1F1D20;
$base-hover: #2E2832;
$base-subtle: #C4BEC8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38313D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBE8ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D7D2DB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B9B1BF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9B90A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7C7184",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#625A68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#48434C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#312E33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}