What color is #38331E?

#38331E is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(56, 51, 30), and in HSL hsl(48, 30%, 17%).

Is #38331E accessible as text?

On white, #38331E has a contrast ratio of 12.65:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.66:1 (fails). For text placed on #38331E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38331E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-700 (#44403B).

What colors go well with #38331E?

As a neutral, #38331E 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 #38331E the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #38331E 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.

#38331E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38331E

Not just a swatch — here's how #38331E works with other colors. Named schemes with #38331E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38331E Secondary #784C20 Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

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 #38331E Secondary #B2680F Accent #6F7A48 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3A2A1F

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 #38331E Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F 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 #38331E Anchor #141210 Accent #C7A34B Secondary #2C291E 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 #38331E Secondary #5A5851 Support #999186 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.

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Color Lab

How #38331E 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 57/100

Neutral

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

Softness 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 64/100

High

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

Naturalness 44/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 44/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 67/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 30/100

Low

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

Surface fit 54/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #38331E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38331E with

Taupe Bottle Green Graphite Greige Army Green

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 #DEDACC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #35381E — 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 #38331E 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: #38331E;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 51 30;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.0% 0.035 96.4);
  --color-50: #FAF9F5;
  --color-100: #F1EEE4;
  --color-200: #E2DECA;
  --color-300: #CBC3A4;
  --color-400: #B2A880;
  --color-500: #958A60;
  --color-600: #746C4E;
  --color-700: #544F3B;
  --color-800: #383529;
  --color-900: #23211B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#FAF9F5',
    100: '#F1EEE4',
    200: '#E2DECA',
    300: '#CBC3A4',
    400: '#B2A880',
    500: '#958A60',
    600: '#746C4E',
    700: '#544F3B',
    800: '#383529',
    900: '#23211B',
  },
}

$base: #38331E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAF9F5;
$base-100: #F1EEE4;
$base-200: #E2DECA;
$base-300: #CBC3A4;
$base-400: #B2A880;
$base-500: #958A60;
$base-600: #746C4E;
$base-700: #544F3B;
$base-800: #383529;
$base-900: #23211B;
$base-hover: #2D2918;
$base-subtle: #CEC8B1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38331E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAF9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F1EEE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E2DECA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CBC3A4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B2A880",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#958A60",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#746C4E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#544F3B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#383529",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#23211B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #38331E

Color Lab

Pairs with #38331E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export