What color is #384243?

#384243 is a dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(56, 66, 67), and in HSL hsl(185, 9%, 24%).

Is #384243 accessible as text?

On white, #384243 has a contrast ratio of 10.35:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 2.03:1 (fails). For text placed on #384243, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #384243?

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

What colors go well with #384243?

As a neutral, #384243 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 #384243 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #384243 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.

#384243 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #384243

Not just a swatch — here's how #384243 works with other colors. Named schemes with #384243 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #384243 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #596364

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #384243 Secondary #715017 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395143 Anchor #55233F

Charcoal 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 #384243 Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Charcoal 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #384243 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Charcoal opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #384243 Secondary #636767 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Charcoal 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 Charcoal carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #384243 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 40/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 59/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 61/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 5/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 33/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

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 #384243

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #384243 with

Feldgrau Onyx Taupe Platinum Outer Space

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 10.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6DADB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #383E43 — 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 #384243 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #384243;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 66 67;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(37.0% 0.013 204.0);
  --color-50: #F7F8F8;
  --color-100: #E9ECED;
  --color-200: #D3D9DA;
  --color-300: #B2BCBD;
  --color-400: #929FA0;
  --color-500: #728182;
  --color-600: #5B6667;
  --color-700: #444A4B;
  --color-800: #2E3233;
  --color-900: #1D2020;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  charcoal: {
    50: '#F7F8F8',
    100: '#E9ECED',
    200: '#D3D9DA',
    300: '#B2BCBD',
    400: '#929FA0',
    500: '#728182',
    600: '#5B6667',
    700: '#444A4B',
    800: '#2E3233',
    900: '#1D2020',
  },
}

$base: #384243;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F8F8;
$base-100: #E9ECED;
$base-200: #D3D9DA;
$base-300: #B2BCBD;
$base-400: #929FA0;
$base-500: #728182;
$base-600: #5B6667;
$base-700: #444A4B;
$base-800: #2E3233;
$base-900: #1D2020;
$base-hover: #2D3535;
$base-subtle: #C1C8C9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#384243",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F8F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9ECED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3D9DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B2BCBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#929FA0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#728182",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B6667",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#444A4B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E3233",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D2020",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}