#393d3b
a deep, muted gray · neutral · closest name: Dark Slate Gray
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #393d3b is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Near-neutral, so temperature is a whisper rather than a statement — the tinted siblings below show which way it can lean.
Every format
| HEX | #393d3b |
| RGB | rgb(57, 61, 59) |
| HSL | hsl(150, 3%, 23%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(7%, 0%, 3%, 76%) |
| LAB | lab(25.3 -2.1 0.7) |
| LCH | lch(25.3 2.3 163.2) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.355 0.006 164.7) |
| Decimal | 3751227 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.224 0.239 0.231) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #393d3b;
background-color: #393d3b;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#393d3b] bg-[#393d3b]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #393d3b;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.224, green: 0.239, blue: 0.231)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#393d3b")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFF393D3B)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(59, 61, 57)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #393d3b is pinned to step 900; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F7F8F7;
--brand-100: #EFF0F0;
--brand-200: #DDDFDE;
--brand-300: #C5C9C7;
--brand-400: #A8AEAB;
--brand-500: #8B938F;
--brand-600: #767F7A;
--brand-700: #636966;
--brand-800: #4F5452;
--brand-900: #393d3b;
--brand-950: #252726;
--brand: #393d3b;
--brand-ink: #ffffff;
}Colors that work with #393d3b
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #393d3b
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Body text and links on white
- ✓Borders, dividers and quiet backgrounds
- ✓Long-form reading surfaces
- ✓Headers, footers and dark-mode surfaces
- ✓Neutral UI chrome and typography
- ⚠Text on black or near-black surfaces
- ⚠Black text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #3D393B | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #393D39 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #393D3D | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #3D393D | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #3D3939 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #3B393D | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #3D3B39 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #39393D | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#393d3b text on a black background
contrast 1.90:1
#393d3b text on a white background
contrast 11.03:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #393d3b;
background-color: #393d3b;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #393d3b;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(57, 61, 59, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(57, 61, 59, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #393d3b; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #393d3b, #393C3D);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #393d3b
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Gunmetal (#2a3439) — ΔE2000 5.7 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#393d3b in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#393d3b, answered
What color is #393d3b?
#393d3b is a deep muted gray, closest to Dark Slate Gray (ΔE2000 11.2). It sits at 150° on the hue wheel with 3% saturation and 23% lightness, which reads as neutral.
What is the RGB value of #393d3b?
rgb(57, 61, 59) — 57 red, 61 green and 59 blue out of 255, or 22.4% / 23.9% / 23.1% by channel.
Is #393d3b a light or a dark color?
It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.0452 and perceived brightness is 23%, so white text on it reaches 11.03:1.
Should I use black or white text on #393d3b?
White. It scores 11.03:1 against #393d3b, versus 1.90:1 for black — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #393d3b?
#3D393B sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #3D393D and #3D3939, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #393d3b?
For interface work: #F7F8F7 as the surface, #D5D8D6 for borders, #6F7773 for secondary text, #3F373D as an accent and #3E4240 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #393D39 and #393D3D stays calm, while #3D393B is the loudest partner.
What is #393d3b in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(7%, 0%, 3%, 76%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #393d3b warm or cool?
Neutral — it scores 52 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #493F37; nudged cooler, #2E363D.