What color is #403B21?

#403B21 is a dark, muted amber. In RGB it is rgb(64, 59, 33), and in HSL hsl(50, 32%, 19%).

Is #403B21 accessible as text?

On white, #403B21 has a contrast ratio of 11.26:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.87:1 (fails). For text placed on #403B21, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #403B21?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is taupe-700 (#473C39).

What colors go well with #403B21?

#403B21 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #212640. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #403B21 below.

Is #403B21 good for buttons?

#403B21 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #403B21 — black text only reaches 1.87:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #403B21 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #403B21 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.

#403B21 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #403B21

Not just a swatch — here's how #403B21 works with other colors. Named schemes with #403B21 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #403B21 Secondary #B2680E Accent #6E7A48 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3A2A1F

This palette keeps Espresso as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #403B21 Secondary #784C20 Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

Espresso plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #403B21 Secondary #546A36 Accent #B2680E Surface #F0E9D6 Anchor #3D2E21

Espresso leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #403B21 Surface #DFCFA8 Secondary #AD7C51 Accent #909971 Anchor #3D2D1F

Espresso holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #403B21 Secondary #626157 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

Espresso 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 Espresso carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #403B21 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 58/100

Neutral

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

Softness 36/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 62/100

High

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

Naturalness 49/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 65/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 38/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 50/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #403B21

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #403B21 with

Taupe British Racing Green Prussian Blue 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 11.3:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #3B4021 — 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 #403B21 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: #403B21;
  --color-base-rgb: 64 59 33;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(35.0% 0.042 98.7);
  --color-50: #FAF9F5;
  --color-100: #F2EFE4;
  --color-200: #E3DFC9;
  --color-300: #CCC5A3;
  --color-400: #B3AB7F;
  --color-500: #978D5E;
  --color-600: #756E4D;
  --color-700: #54503A;
  --color-800: #383629;
  --color-900: #23211A;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  espresso: {
    50: '#FAF9F5',
    100: '#F2EFE4',
    200: '#E3DFC9',
    300: '#CCC5A3',
    400: '#B3AB7F',
    500: '#978D5E',
    600: '#756E4D',
    700: '#54503A',
    800: '#383629',
    900: '#23211A',
  },
}

$base: #403B21;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAF9F5;
$base-100: #F2EFE4;
$base-200: #E3DFC9;
$base-300: #CCC5A3;
$base-400: #B3AB7F;
$base-500: #978D5E;
$base-600: #756E4D;
$base-700: #54503A;
$base-800: #383629;
$base-900: #23211A;
$base-hover: #332F1A;
$base-subtle: #D0CBB2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#403B21",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAF9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F2EFE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E3DFC9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CCC5A3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B3AB7F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#978D5E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#756E4D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#54503A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#383629",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#23211A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #403B21

Color Lab

Pairs with #403B21

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export