What color is #42311A?

#42311A is a dark brown. In RGB it is rgb(66, 49, 26), and in HSL hsl(35, 43%, 18%).

Is #42311A accessible as text?

On white, #42311A has a contrast ratio of 12.46:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.69:1 (fails). For text placed on #42311A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #42311A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is yellow-950 (#432004).

What colors go well with #42311A?

#42311A pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #1A2B42. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #42311A below.

Is #42311A good for buttons?

#42311A works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #42311A — black text only reaches 1.69:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #42311A the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #42311A 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.

#42311A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #42311A

Not just a swatch — here's how #42311A works with other colors. Named schemes with #42311A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #42311A Secondary #B46618 Accent #727946 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3B2A1F

This palette keeps Bistre 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 #42311A Secondary #794B22 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #40503C Anchor #5B2229

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.

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #42311A Surface #E1CFA8 Secondary #AF7B53 Accent #93986F Anchor #3E2C20

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #42311A Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #42311A Secondary #5F5951 Support #9A9186 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #42311A 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 62/100

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 60/100

High

Organic, earthy character — at home in wellness, food and craft brands.

Vintage feel 49/100

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 17/100

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 50/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #42311A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #42311A with

Wine Red Espresso Prussian Blue Greige 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 12.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E2D7C8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #423E1A — 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 #42311A 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: #42311A;
  --color-base-rgb: 66 49 26;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.7% 0.044 73.6);
  --color-50: #FBF8F4;
  --color-100: #F4ECE1;
  --color-200: #E8D9C5;
  --color-300: #D3BC9C;
  --color-400: #BD9F75;
  --color-500: #A08155;
  --color-600: #7C6546;
  --color-700: #594A36;
  --color-800: #3B3226;
  --color-900: #242019;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#FBF8F4',
    100: '#F4ECE1',
    200: '#E8D9C5',
    300: '#D3BC9C',
    400: '#BD9F75',
    500: '#A08155',
    600: '#7C6546',
    700: '#594A36',
    800: '#3B3226',
    900: '#242019',
  },
}

$base: #42311A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FBF8F4;
$base-100: #F4ECE1;
$base-200: #E8D9C5;
$base-300: #D3BC9C;
$base-400: #BD9F75;
$base-500: #A08155;
$base-600: #7C6546;
$base-700: #594A36;
$base-800: #3B3226;
$base-900: #242019;
$base-hover: #352715;
$base-subtle: #D5C4AC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#42311A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FBF8F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F4ECE1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E8D9C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#D3BC9C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#BD9F75",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#A08155",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#7C6546",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#594A36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#3B3226",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#242019",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #42311A

Color Lab

Pairs with #42311A

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export