What color is #383231?

#383231 is a dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(56, 50, 49), and in HSL hsl(9, 7%, 21%).

Is #383231 accessible as text?

On white, #383231 has a contrast ratio of 12.58:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.67:1 (fails). For text placed on #383231, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #383231?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-700 (#404040).

What colors go well with #383231?

As a neutral, #383231 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 #383231 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #383231 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.

#383231 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #383231

Not just a swatch — here's how #383231 works with other colors. Named schemes with #383231 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #383231 Surface #15161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5E6473 Accent #585251

Onyx is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Onyx.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #383231 Secondary #7B4927 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A Anchor #5A222E

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 #383231 Surface #F0E9DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BBAEA0 Ink #2B2723

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 #383231 Anchor #141210 Accent #D09E4D Secondary #322523 Surface #F2EDE3

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 #F7F4EF Accent #383231 Secondary #5B5858 Support #9B9186 Ink #17140F

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.

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Color Lab

How #383231 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 52/100

Neutral

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

Softness 36/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 63/100

High

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

Naturalness 23/100

Low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 64/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 3/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 24/100

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 99/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #383231

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #383231 with

Outer Space Onyx 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 12.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9D5D5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #393532 — 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 #383231 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: #383231;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 50 49;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.3% 0.009 28.9);
  --color-50: #F8F7F7;
  --color-100: #ECEAE9;
  --color-200: #D9D4D3;
  --color-300: #BCB4B3;
  --color-400: #9F9593;
  --color-500: #817674;
  --color-600: #655E5D;
  --color-700: #4A4545;
  --color-800: #322F2F;
  --color-900: #201E1D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  onyx: {
    50: '#F8F7F7',
    100: '#ECEAE9',
    200: '#D9D4D3',
    300: '#BCB4B3',
    400: '#9F9593',
    500: '#817674',
    600: '#655E5D',
    700: '#4A4545',
    800: '#322F2F',
    900: '#201E1D',
  },
}

$base: #383231;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F7F7;
$base-100: #ECEAE9;
$base-200: #D9D4D3;
$base-300: #BCB4B3;
$base-400: #9F9593;
$base-500: #817674;
$base-600: #655E5D;
$base-700: #4A4545;
$base-800: #322F2F;
$base-900: #201E1D;
$base-hover: #2E2928;
$base-subtle: #C6C0BF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#383231",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F7F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECEAE9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D9D4D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BCB4B3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9F9593",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#817674",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#655E5D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4A4545",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322F2F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201E1D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #383231

Color Lab

Pairs with #383231

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export