What color is #525242?

#525242 is a dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(82, 82, 66), and in HSL hsl(60, 11%, 29%).

Is #525242 accessible as text?

On white, #525242 has a contrast ratio of 7.94:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 2.64:1 (fails). For text placed on #525242, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #525242?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-600 (#57534D).

What colors go well with #525242?

As a neutral, #525242 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 #525242 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #525242 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.

#525242 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #525242

Not just a swatch — here's how #525242 works with other colors. Named schemes with #525242 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #525242 Secondary #526A37 Accent #B16909 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #525242 Secondary #774C1F Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3E513E Anchor #5B2226

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

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #525242 Anchor #392B1F Surface #EEE3D0 Accent #8C996A Secondary #3B3833

Iron Gray anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #525242 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F Ink #2B2723

Iron Gray 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 #525242 Secondary #797973 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

Iron Gray 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 Iron Gray carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #525242 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 54/100

Neutral

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

Softness 45/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 53/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 27/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 57/100

Moderate

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

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 50/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 49/100

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 #525242

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #525242 with

Wenge Iron Gray Charcoal 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 7.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DEDED8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4D5242 — 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 #525242 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

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #525242;
  --color-base-rgb: 82 82 66;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(43.4% 0.025 107.4);
  --color-50: #F8F8F6;
  --color-100: #EDEDE8;
  --color-200: #DBDBD2;
  --color-300: #BFBFB1;
  --color-400: #A2A290;
  --color-500: #848471;
  --color-600: #68685A;
  --color-700: #4C4C43;
  --color-800: #33332E;
  --color-900: #20201D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  iron-gray: {
    50: '#F8F8F6',
    100: '#EDEDE8',
    200: '#DBDBD2',
    300: '#BFBFB1',
    400: '#A2A290',
    500: '#848471',
    600: '#68685A',
    700: '#4C4C43',
    800: '#33332E',
    900: '#20201D',
  },
}

$base: #525242;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F8F6;
$base-100: #EDEDE8;
$base-200: #DBDBD2;
$base-300: #BFBFB1;
$base-400: #A2A290;
$base-500: #848471;
$base-600: #68685A;
$base-700: #4C4C43;
$base-800: #33332E;
$base-900: #20201D;
$base-hover: #424235;
$base-subtle: #CDCDC4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#525242",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDEDE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DBDBD2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BFBFB1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A2A290",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#848471",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#68685A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4C4C43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#33332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#20201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #525242

Color Lab

Pairs with #525242

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export